


every kind of mischief

by PinkGerberDaisies



Series: misconstrued romance [1]
Category: Figure Skating RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe, Emma Approved AU, Emma Jane Austen AU, F/M, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Light Angst, Romance, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-08
Updated: 2019-04-19
Packaged: 2019-11-13 19:21:53
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 18
Words: 102,479
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18037355
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PinkGerberDaisies/pseuds/PinkGerberDaisies
Summary: Tessa Virtue is a wealthy, pretty, self-satisfied young woman who has switched careers from ballroom dance to professional lifestyle coach, event planner, and matchmaker. With the help of her business partner and best friend, Scott, she intends to make people's lives better one love story at a time, whether they want her to or not.But meddling in the lives of other people can come at a price...





	1. Chapter One

**Author's Note:**

> “Vanity working on a weak mind produces every kind of mischief.” - Jane Austen, Emma

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, here we are again. I honestly didn't expect to write another VM fic so soon (if at all), but this one has been living in the back of my mind since last August and I feel like I need to get it out. 
> 
> So, without further ado, I hope you enjoy this little twist on an old classic. 
> 
> Xoxo,   
> Daisy

**an austen-tatious beginning **

****

“Beautiful, clever, and brilliant. There are many intriguing female entrepreneurs in the love and lifestyle community, but none are more dynamic or have more potential than young Miss Tessa Virtue.”

Tessa finishes reading the introduction aloud with a flourish, enunciating the last three words with a giddy amount of force. There’s something thrilling about seeing her name in print – the serif letters black and bold against the white background – next to a picture of herself looking perfectly poised and mature. It’s the first article that’s ever been written about her in the two years she’s been working in the lifestyle industry, and she’d rushed into work today with her copy of _Women With Vision_ hot off the newsstand, excited to share it with her best friend.

“Isn’t that a fabulous beginning?”

“It’s great, Virtch, but could you stop kicking my chair?” Scott, her ex-competitive ballroom dance partner, current business partner, and seemingly permanent fixture in her life, hardly pauses to look up at her where she’s perched on the edge of his desk. Too focused on crunching numbers or running data analysis programs or whatever it is that he does.

(She knows, but she likes riling him up by pretending to forget and forcing him to explain it all again.) 

“Oh, sorry,” Tessa grimaces and tucks one of her feet under her knee, leaving the other one to hang. She hadn’t meant to be swinging her legs so enthusiastically, but sometimes when she gets this excited she gets restless and the energy has to go somewhere. She makes a mental note to stop by their old dance studio later to work it off, otherwise she’ll never be able to sleep tonight.

“No worries,” He replies easily. He does look at her then, the sunlight from the open window hitting his eyes just right and nearly turning them green and a warm smile gracing his sharp features, and Tessa can’t help but smile back. They’ve known each other so long, it’s like a Pavlovian response at this point. “You can keep reading, T, I know you want to.”

Her smile becomes a full-blown grin at the invitation and she dives back in, “Miss Virtue runs the lifestyle and matchmaking division of the developing Virtuous Lifestyle Group. When asked about what her job entails, Miss Virtue said, ‘In nine words? I make your life better, and I never fail.’”

“Ha!” Scott’s sudden outburst interrupts her, and Tessa promptly kicks him in the shin with her loose foot and glares.

“Ow, T, what was that for?” He rubs his leg with an exaggerated pout, and Tessa reaches out and jabs his lower lip back into place with no remorse.

“You laughed at me!”

“Well that’s kind of a big claim, don’t you think? _Never_ fail? That’s only going to set people up for disappointment.”

Tessa folds her arms over her chest and turns away from him, tilting her chin up and stubbornly refusing to meet his eye, “Wow, Scott, it’s like you have no faith in me or my abilities at all.”

“I _do_ have faith in you, kiddo,” His hand lands on her knee, the warmth seeping in through her tan pencil skirt, but Tessa still refuses to look at him, “But after two years we’re still the newest branch in your mother’s company and we need to tread carefully if we’re going to avoid being cut off the tree, as they say.”

“We're not going to be cut off. I have a solid nineteen out of nineteen success rate!”

She turns back to face him with another glare. He’s been here since the beginning – how could he possibly have forgotten everything that’s happened in the last two years? Even before they were an official part of the Virtuous Lifestyle Group she was making matches left and right. Clearly her record speaks for itself.

“How do you figure?” His eyebrow arches as he looks at her, his voice thick with skepticism, and Tessa holds up her fingers and starts forcefully listing off all of the couples that she's put together over the years. 

“Eric and Luis, Tanith and Charlie, Patrick and Liz, Piper and Paul, Evan and Madison, Meryl and Fedor-“

His hand flies up to stop her, “Setting up your ex-boyfriend on a date with your sort-of friend so that he’ll stop calling you is hardly what I would call a business success.”

He might have a point there. She _had_ only encouraged Meryl to ask out Fedor so that he would stop trying to booty call her (and thus avoid a confrontation with Scott, who had been adamant about “defending her honor”), but it hadn’t ended up being a one-time thing between them – they’d actually _liked_ each other – so she still counts their relationship as a direct result of her influence.

“They’re engaged, aren’t they?” Tessa points out with a smirk, and she knows she’s won the argument when Scott sighs and shakes his head but doesn’t belabor the point. “Exactly. Then there’s Madi and Zach-“

“That was six years ago and they were already dance partners and probably sleeping together before you suggested they date.”

“Of course they were sleeping together,” She acknowledges with an eye roll. Everyone in the ballroom dance world talked about Madi and Zach and their tumultuous relationship (especially after they were caught in a closet together at the Blackpool Dance Festival in 2009). “But were they official? No. Not until I encouraged them to define the relationship.”

“You’ve also forgotten that they broke up and are now engaged to other people,” Scott shoots back, poking her in the ribs to get her to move off the papers she’s currently sitting on.  

Tessa lifts up a little so that he can retrieve them, but refuses to let the argument slide, “So? They were still together for a while.”

“So we’re just counting anybody you ever said should date who ended up going out a few times?” Scott snorts and turns his attention back to his computer screen, pulling an excel document up and adding numbers to it from the papers she’d been keeping captive, “Those seems like generous parameters.”

Tessa elects to ignore that question and continues on with her list of romantic triumphs, “Ashley and Nadia, Yuna and Michelle, and don’t forget Charlie and Jordan - that’s kind of a big one.”

“Okay,” Scott leans back in his chair, and Tessa feels a little surge of victory that his attention is on her again, not the computer, “That one I have to argue. You did not set up our siblings.”

“Yes I absolutely did!”

“Charlie is the one who asked out Jordan. It was his idea!”

“You think they would have gotten together without my influence?”

“They got together because they wanted to, that’s it. He liked her, she liked him, end of story," Scott's voice is insistent, but Tessa knows the truth. Love had needed a little push, and who better to supply it than her? 

“Oh please. When Charlie asked her on a date who do you think she called and talked to for over an hour about the pros and cons of dating someone she’d known practically her whole life? Jordan needed a little nudge here and there and now look – they’re married. Thanks, in no small part, to me.”

 _So ha!_ She crows silently, but it’s clear from Scott’s scowl that he knows exactly what she was thinking, so she grins even wider at him. _Take that for doubting me!_

“You’re the worst,” He finally grumbles after a few moments, grabbing her swinging leg and tickling her behind her knee.

A surprised laugh bubbles up out of her mouth as Tessa reacts to the sudden onslaught, her leg jerking forward by instinct and nearly kicking him again.

“Don’t do that!” It’s half a giggle, half a command, and Tessa swats his hand away so that he can’t continue torturing her. The most annoying part about knowing someone for nearly twenty years is that he knows all of her ticklish spots and often uses them to get his way. Many childhood arguments were lost because of him and his tendency to resort to tickle fights to get his way. 

“Then don’t make false claims.”

“It’s not false!” She insists, holding up her fingers again and continuing her list with renewed vigor, determined to prove her point. She goes on and on until she’s reached eighteen before pausing for dramatic effect, “And now number nineteen, added to the list just last night, Midori and Alex!”

“Oh! He proposed?” Scott asks with a smile, “That explains all the grinning emojis he sent me last night. I asked him what they meant and he never responded.”

“He did indeed,” Tessa nods, “And she said yes. They put a ring on it! We’ve got a wedding to plan!”

“That’s awesome!” Scott pulls out his phone, still encased in the worn Maple Leafs cover she’d bought for him three Christmases ago, and Tessa resists the urge to chastise him for his outdated technology. She knows he'd just spew out excuses claiming that _if it ain't broke, don't fix it_. “I’ll shoot her a text and say congrats, and _if_ she wants us to be in charge of planning, then that’s great. But it should be her choice, right Virtch?”

The look he gives her, combined with his tone, hints at a lecture, like he thinks she forced Midori into having them plan her wedding (as if), but Tessa just continues blithely smiling at him, “She already made a choice all by herself, and she chose us. Why wouldn’t she? We’re the best.”

She winks and Scott just rolls his eyes and affectionately shakes his head.

“So you keep insisting.”

“So you should believe me. I can’t wait to get to work.”

“Tess,” Scott’s smile fades into a slight frown, “You have five other projects on your desk right now, plus the individual one-time consultations we talked about, the articles you need to write for your mother’s magazine, not to mention all the paperwork-“

“I hate paperwork. I thought you handled all of that?” Tessa pouts and Scott mimics her action from earlier by pushing her bottom lip back into place.

“I can’t handle everything, T,” Scott chuckles, “But if you had an assistant like I’ve been telling you to get for months, you wouldn’t have to handle it either.”

“But I like that it’s just the two of us here. The dream team, conquering the world! We’ve always been a dynamic duo.”  

“This workload is gonna bust _my_ dynamic duo if we don’t get some help,” Scott winces dramatically and Tessa laughs. 

“Ugh, fine, fine,” She hops off of his desk, pausing to fix her skirt and make sure it isn’t pulling funny anywhere, “You win. I wouldn’t want you to bust your balls. Your ex did enough of that.”

Scott’s groan is loud enough to be heard in the offices next door, and he pushes her hard in the hip, obviously trying to force her to go, “Would you stop bringing her up? Let it go.”

“I don’t know why you won’t just let me set you up-“

Scott shoots up out of his chair and starts physically pushing her towards the door, and although Tessa tries to resist by planting her feet, her strength is no match for his and her efforts not to be moved are somewhat impeded by her laughter.

“Bye, Tess!”

Scott manhandles her until she’s standing in the hallway and with a jaunty, sarcastic little wave he shuts the door with a loud click, leaving Tessa alone to stick her tongue out at him where he can’t see it.

She walks exactly five steps down the hallway and enters her office, its chic black and white design a sharp contrast to the warm brown towns of his, and sets the magazine down in a prominent place on her desk, next to a framed picture of the man currently typing away next door.

She can't help but smile at the memory. It’s from six years ago, when she was twenty-one and Scott had barely turned twenty-three. They’d just won their first (and last) World Professional Standard Championship in Quebec – narrowly beating the Americans – after an unbeatable year. They were the first and only Canadian team to do so, and the youngest team ever in dance sport’s history. It had been the best day of her life, even if a little bittersweet due to the pain she’d been dealing with in her shins and the knowledge that their career was coming to an early end, and she’s displayed it proudly on every desk she’s worked at since then.

Although it does often lead nosy clients to ask if she and Scott are a couple.

(She meddles in their lives, but her own is strictly off limits. Especially in regards to her entirely platonic best friend.)

Despite Scott’s protests and teasing, she knows they’ve done well together since graduating from Western and trading dance costumes for suits and pencil skirts. They have a steady stream of clients, they’re bringing in money, and her mother regularly tells her how proud of them she is.

(Yes, she is a _mom_ , but Kate Virtue is also a ruthless business woman and she wouldn’t say that if she didn’t mean it.)

And now Tessa’s brought in a high profile client, champion cross-country skier and Olympic athlete Alex Harvey, and set him up with her best friend Midori Rutledge in a match that will be walking down the aisle very soon. It’s her biggest success to date – although it was a little too easy (a skier and a beautiful fitness guru? What could be better?) – and she’s almost more excited about that than she is the profile piece.

Hopefully Alex's success with encourage other high profile clients to seek her out, but until then, she'd probably better take care of her current work like Scott suggested. 

With a heavy sigh she pushes aside thoughts of flower arrangements and table settings and venues and focuses on the stack of work on her desk, electing to ignore the pile of assistant applications that Scott had placed so thoughtfully on top of her keyboard with a bright pink sticky note that says, “Look at me!” written on it. It’s a blatantly passive-aggressive attempt that she refuses to give into, and she has much more important things to think about. 

 

****

 

“Hey,” Scott’s head pops in from around the corner after a few hours, his dark wavy hair falling over his forehead in that way that always makes her want to push it back. She likes it long and fluffy like this, but she knows that he prefers it short and she can't help but wonder sometimes why he hasn't cut it yet. 

“I swear I only _just_ started looking at wedding venues!" She rushes to defend herself, assuming that he's here to make sure she's really working, "I’ve completed almost all of the items on my to-do list today, I promise! See? Look at my stack of papers!”

She holds it up to prove how much thinner it is, and Scott moves the rest of the way around the corner and leans against the frame with a smirk.

“I’m not here to check up on you, Virtch, although I am impressed by your productivity.”

“Oh,” Tessa blushes, putting the stack back down and brushing a nonexistent piece of cotton off her blouse, “Then what did you want?”

“I’m starving. Wanna close up for a bit and go grab lunch?”

“The Bag Lady?” She perks up immediately and Scott nods.

“Where else?”

"Yes, please!” Tessa quickly sets her computer to sleep and grabs her purse, nearly tripping in her haste to join him. The Bag Lady is their favorite lunch spot, conveniently located within walking distance of their office, and Tessa can already feel her mouth watering for one of their grilled veggie sandwiches.

“Actually, this is perfect timing because I haven’t posted my outfit of the day yet, and I need you to take the picture of me. Our brick wall out front is the perfect backdrop.”

“Tes-sa,” Scott groans as he opens the door for her, breaking her name up into two distinct syllables like he only does when he’s settling in for a good whine.

"Don’t give me that. You know posting regularly on Instagram helps build my brand. And when I build my brand, we get more business, which means you get paid. It’ll take two seconds.”

“Fine,” Scott acquiesces, taking her outstretched phone and snapping a few goofy pictures of her before she’s ready, “But you’re paying for lunch.”

“Deal.”

“And I’m ordering the most expensive thing on the menu.”

“Okay,” Tessa agrees easily. He says that every time, but she knows he’ll order the veggie burger and fries like he always does anyway.

“And we’re watching Bloodsport for our Friday night movie this week.” He throws the last bit in quickly, trying to catch her off guard, and then snaps another picture as soon as she stops smiling for the camera and turns towards him to complain.

“Scott! Not again!”

“Oh, that’s a good shot. I’m loving the look of abject horror on your face. It’s very Edvard Munch.”

“Scott! We are not watching that. Every time you pick the movie you try to make me watch Bloodsport and it’s been this way for ten years. Give it a rest already.”

“It’s my favorite,” Scott shrugs, “If you don’t like it, then negotiate. You’re supposed to be a shrewd business woman.”

“Fine. How about you take the picture – one that I can actually use, I pay for whatever lunch you want, and we watch The Princess Bride on Friday.”

“Hmmm,” Scott taps his index finger against his chin, arching an eyebrow and pretending to be deeply considering her proposal. He pauses for dramatic effect before finally smiling, “As you wish.”

“I swear you live just to torture me,” Tessa grumbles, taking her phone back and slipping it into her purse – not noticing Scott’s hand moving before it’s too late and he’s tickling her mercilessly in the ribs.

She squeals and jumps back in surprise, nearly falling off the curb, before shooting daggers at him.

“I can’t help it. You make it too easy.” Scott says with an easy smile, grabbing her hand and tugging her down the street before she can come up with a retort. “You know, if you had an assistant they could take all of these pictures for you and you wouldn't have to negotiate anything.”

“And waste all those photography classes you took while we were at Western?”

“I’m just saying. They wouldn’t complain because it would be their job. And you could train them to take exactly the kind of pictures that you want.”

“But you’ve always taken the best photos of me," Tessa points out. All of her favorite pictures of herself were taken by Scott. 

“No, I’ve just taken the most. I needed someone to practice on back in school, but now you can get the perfect person for all of your fashion needs.”

“You’re really pushing this assistant thing.”

“Just think about it. Someone to answer the phone, help walk-ins, do the menial tasks that neither of us has time for anymore, fetch coffee…” His voice trails off enticingly, and she has to admit he has her there. She does have a weakness for good coffee, and although the machine in their break room is good, it isn’t as good as the coffee from Black Walnut.

Having someone who could handle all the paperwork she hates _and_ drive across town to get coffee for her? That might actually be kind of nice.

“Let’s just go eat. I’m not making any promises.”

Scott grins, his eyes flashing with something a little too close to triumph for Tessa's liking, “I knew the promise of coffee would win you over.”

Rolling her eyes, she pushes him through the restaurant door.

 _Maybe_ after lunch she’ll look through those applications and _maybe_ she’ll bring some people in for interviews.

After all, it couldn’t hurt to give it a shot.

 

 


	2. Chapter Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tessa discovers the nightmares of the interview process, and hires a new assistant.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for all of your enthusiasm for the first chapter, everyone! It makes me excited to know that you're excited! <3

**the right decisions (don't come easy)**

 

It turns out hiring an assistant is not exactly as easy as Tessa expected it to be. It’s not that things hadn’t started out looking very promising - all of the applications were well written, had good layouts, and portrayed a set of applicants with exactly the backgrounds Tessa was looking for – it’s just that apparently sometimes what’s written on paper is not an accurate portrayal of the actual person.

Tessa spent a week calling each applicant on the phone directly, introducing herself, and setting up appointments. She’d used all of her free time over the weekend preparing her outfits so that she’d look like a serious boss (but still friendly and personable), and then googled the best questions for employers to ask in job interviews.

She expected every meeting to go well and for every applicant to be enthusiastic and perfect for the job. In her daydreams she pictured herself sitting at her desk surrounded by resumes and agonizing back and forth between too many good options.

In reality, it went something more like this:

 

1\. Monday - Stacy Woodbridge.

“Tess?” Scott’s knuckles rap against the hardwood of her door, dragging away her focus from a client asking how to break up with her boyfriend to where he’s standing in the entryway, “Your first appointment is here.”

Tessa glances quickly at the application to remind herself of the young woman’s name, _Stacy Woodbridge,_ before looking up with her best professional smile to greet her first potential new employee.

She finds the young woman, a red head wearing painful looking stilettos, winking at Scott and thanking him with what could only be called bedroom eyes. It makes her uncomfortable (sure, she’s seen plenty of girls hit on Scott over the years, but isn’t it inappropriate in the workplace?), but Tessa stands up straight and pretends not to see it. She's resolved to put her best foot forward, no matter what. 

“Good morning, Miss Woodbridge, thank you for meeting me today.”

The woman shakes her hand a little too firmly, red lips parting in a sickly-sweet smile, “You might as well call me Stacy. Everyone does.”

“Alright then, Stacy,” Tessa smiles and gestures to the seat across from her desk, waiting until Stacy has sat down before taking her own seat again, “Why don’t we start by you telling me something about yourself. Something that isn’t on your resume.”

“Well, I volunteer at an animal shelter on the weekends,” Stacy says before blowing a large bubble with her gum and popping it.

_Is there a protocol for gum chewing?_ Tessa wonders silently, weirdly fascinated by the almost meticulous way Stacy blows perfectly round pink bubbles and pops them with her lips. _Am I allowed to ask her to spit it out? That’s unprofessional, right?_

“Oh really?” Tessa shakes herself a little and tries to ignore the bubblegum, “That’s amazing! I love dogs.”

“Yeah, it’s a surprisingly great place to pick up guys,” Stacy says matter-of-factly, shrugging one shoulder, and Tessa feels her chin drop before she has a chance to stop it.

“Oh, um,” Tessa chuckles awkwardly and lets her voice trail off. What on earth is she supposed to say to that? All her research had prepared her for avoiding awkward interview questions and drilled into her what she can and cannot ask. Nothing warned her about how to react to awkward interview _answers_. So she chooses to move past it.

"Why do you want to work here?”

“Honestly? I was fired from my last job so I just need something quick and easy.” Stacy laughs like it’s an inside joke that they share, and Tessa sort of grimaces at her, “I know I’m not supposed to say anything bad about a former employer, but you don’t look like you’d care. This lady I worked for was crazy. She was always jealous of me because of my clothes and the fact that I flirted with her husband.”

"You… flirted with her husband?”

“He was the co-owner of the company and he loved it. Of course I did! We ladies have to break the glass ceiling however we can, right?”

_Somewhere Gloria Steinem just had a heart attack and she doesn’t know why_ , Tessa thinks with a shake of her head. This girl is definitely not going to work out.

“I’m not quite sure that’s – you know what? Thanks for coming in, Stacy, we’ll be in touch.”

 

2\. Tuesday - Kamilla McFee

“It’s nice to meet you, Miss McFee, I’m Tessa.”

The second interview is already shaping up to be, well, very different from the first. For one thing, the girl sitting across from her is the complete opposite of Stacy. She’s got black hair down to her waist, raccoon eyes, and chipped fingernails, and so far it seems like she’d be much happier in a cemetery than a bright, happy office downtown.

“Trisha,” The girl nods in acknowledgement with a proper greeting, and Tessa presses her lips tightly together to keep from sighing. Or shouting. She’s not sure which.  

“Um, it’s _Tessa_ actually.”

Kamilla shrugs and sinks a little further into her seat, propping one combat boot up on the edge of Tessa’s desk, “Sure.”

“Can I offer you some water or coffee? I think my partner Scott might have some healthy sort of green juice in the fridge as well.”

Extend professional courtesies. That’s what the internet had said and Tessa means to be a good interviewer, even if it’s one hundred percent clear that Kamilla has not done the same amount of prep work. Or even possesses an ounce of politeness.

“No thanks. I brought one,” Kamilla pulls a glass bottle out of her bag filled with a sketchy looking amber liquid and drinks a large mouthful, “I make my own kombucha. Want some?”

“Oh that’s very sweet of you to ask, but no thank you.”

“Your loss,” She shrugs, taking another swig of her drink before wiping her mouth with the back of her hand.

_Does kombucha have alcohol?_ Tessa can’t remember, but she has a feeling that if it does, this girl has found a way to put the most amount possible in her home brew, based on the rather pungent smell every time she opens the bottle.

"So, what made you want to apply for this position?”

“It looked easy. I just need to make a little extra cash before my kombucha business gets off the ground. I have plans to build a whole empire. Get it into stores across Canada and stuff.”  

Tessa smiles and tries to sound encouraging, “That sounds like a very ambitious goal, and ambition is a good thing! But it sounds like you’re not really interested in the lifestyle industry.”

“Not really. I mean, why would someone need to be told how to have a life? Just, live, or whatever. It’s not like it’s that hard.”

“Well,” Tessa says slowly, “We don’t really tell people how to _live_ , we just try to help people with whatever they need at the moment. Whether that’s advice, event planning, matchmaking-“

Kamilla drops her boot back to the floor and sits forward, looking somewhat interested for the first time, “Can I be left out of the matchmaking part?”

“Why?”

“I don’t mind planning events or whatever, but I believe that love is man’s greatest lie and marriage is a prison.”

Tessa really doesn’t have an answer to that.

“I’m, um, I’m not sure this company is the right fit for you.”

 

3\. Wednesday – Mac Allen

_Oh my god, he’s a child_ , is the first thought that runs through her mind when Scott brings in that morning’s applicant. A gangly boy with carefully coifed poofy hair, a baby face that probably can’t grow more than a few whiskers, a striped long-sleeved shirt, and Converse that look like he’d attempted to scrub them clean (she can still see a Sharpie star on the end of one of them).

A literal child has walked into her office for a job interview.

“Miss Virtue?” He greets her with a confident smile and a surprisingly firm handshake, “I’m Mac Allen. Like the scotch,” He chuckles, reaching into his backpack (a backpack!) and pulling out a bottle of the liquor whose name he shares to give to her.

Tessa can see Scott watching them from the corner of her eye, and she just knows he’s barely managing to keep it together. She presses her lips in a firm line and swallows before speaking, making sure that her voice doesn’t betray her own laughter threatening to break free.

“Wow, for me? You really didn’t have to do that.”

“Oh it’s no problem. I thought you seemed like a person who enjoyed the finer things in life, based on your profile.” He drops his backpack on the floor and falls into the chair, gesturing for her to take a seat like suddenly he’s in charge, and Tessa instantly wants to laugh again.

"You looked up my profile?”

“Of course. I don’t apply for a job without knowing who I’ll be working for. I thought the piece about you two weeks ago in _Women With Vision_ was really well done. And, can I just say, you’re even more beautiful in person. The picture in the magazine didn’t do you justice.”

Scott snorts from the doorway and Tessa shoots him a glare before waving him off. She’ll never be able to make it through this interview with a straight face if she knows Scott is listening.

“You’re very kind, but I have to ask… are you old enough to buy something like this?”

“I know I look young, but I promise I’m nineteen. I can show you my ID if you want.” He tugs his wallet out of his back pocket and rips it open, the Velcro loud and jarring in the quiet room, and Tessa holds up her hand to stop him.

“That won’t be necessary.”

“I’m very mature for my age, and I promise I’m a hard worker and I always aim to please.”

“I’m sure you are, Mac.”

She should dismiss him, right? Or is that not allowed? Is there an anti-age discrimination law that she should know about? Maybe she should err on the side of safety and continue with the interview like normal. After all, he might look young, but Scott was a late bloomer, too. He could surprise her.

“Um… what made you want to apply for this position?”

"You.”

Mac’s voice has slipped into a more dreamlike quality, his eyes glazing over a little bit as he stares at her, and Tessa gulps nervously. Bad interviews are one thing, but interviews where the applicant is obviously crushing on her? That she really has no idea how to handle. The articles online had warned her not to get too chummy, but this is entirely different.

“I mean, your profile and the work you’re doing,” He quickly corrects himself, his cheeks turning bright red, “I think it’s great that you want to help people find love. Are you… are you in love with someone?”

“I’m not sure that’s an appropriate question,” Tessa stutters in surprise, reaching for her cup of water and swallowing most of it to save her from having to reply further.

“Oh, sorry. I just thought, someone like you – you’re perfect. Somebody must have snatched you up years ago.”

His eyes slide over to the picture of her and Scott on the side of her desk, realization dawning in his eyes, and Tessa snaps back to attention – sitting up a little straighter and adopting her most stern voice.

“I’m not looking to be _snatched up_ , Mr. Allen, and although I appreciate the compliments, this is a job interview. Please try to remember that and act accordingly.”

“Of course, I’m sorry.”

“What was the last professional book you read?”

“50 Shades of Grey.”

That brings her up short, and in her surprise she forgets to be the strict interviewer and instead stares at him like he’s suddenly grown another head. Was his previous professional job something to do with domination and sex dungeons? Does he think he’s applying at _Sub_ way? (She snorts at her private little pun, making a mental note to tell Scott about it later. He’ll love it.)

Mac is attempting to smirk at her, which gives her the distinct feeling that she’s supposed to be _impressed_ by this. Like he’d picked that title on purpose to… to what? Does he think she’s secretly a dominatrix? She’s wearing a powder blue suit today and her hair’s in a messy bun! Maybe if she were in some sort of black dress with a plunging neckline, but _mistress_ is definitely not a vibe she’s giving off intentionally.

Tessa drinks more water as she searches for an appropriate response, before finally settling on, “How interesting,” and moving to another topic of conversation as quickly as possible. 

 

The rest of the interview goes fairly normally (thank god), but Tessa is still grateful to see him leave. He’s a bit like an overeager puppy. All energetic and happy and eager for approval. But he could definitely never be her assistant.

 

4\. Thursday – Kaetlyn Osmond

She has a headache.

It’s not uncommon. She gets the occasional migraine and has long since learned how to deal with them, but this one isn’t so much the result of a problem with her brain as it is a problem with _other people_.

She’d had five interviews today. Five. And each one had been terrible in its own, uniquely awful way. The first person had brought their dog and it had peed on the hardwood floor in their foyer. Another person had come in their pajamas claiming that she thought since they were a lifestyle company that meant she could embrace whatever lifestyle she wanted (aka pajamas 24/7), and - while Tessa had laughed at that – it definitely isn’t what she’s looking for in a professional environment.

She is done. Screw getting an assistant, she’d rather do everything herself than deal with one more disappointment.

Her last interview scheduled today looks promising on paper – a double major at Western, excellent GPA, experience working on her school paper, and she figure skates for a hobby – but if there’s one thing Tessa has learned this week, it’s not to get her hopes up based on a resumé.  

“Um, Miss Virtue?”

Tessa stops slamming her head against her desk (possibly another source of her headache) and shoots up in her seat, sincerely hoping there isn’t a giant red mark on her forehead as a result.

“Yes? Can I help you?”

The young woman hastily pushes her glasses up her nose and walks into the room, “I’m Kaetlyn Osmond. I’m here for my interview. Your coworker told me I could come straight back. Well, I think that’s what he said. He was on the phone and just sort of waved. I’m sorry if I’m intruding.”

“No, no. Not at all. Come in. Is that coffee?”

There’s a brown cardboard tray in her hands, and while normally Tessa wouldn’t accept a bribe, today of all days she thinks she’s earned a little rule breaking.

“Oh!” Kaetlyn exclaims, setting the drink down in front of her, nearly knocking it over in her haste, “Yes, I brought you some from this place by my apartment called Black Walnut. I had to guess what kind you would like, so I hope a flat white is okay.”

_She’s an angel. She is a perfect, amazing, spectacular human being_. It’s probably her caffeine-deprived brain talking, but Tessa can find no fault in any of those superlatives.

“When can you start?” Tessa blurts out and then immediately blushes.

_You haven’t even interviewed her yet, Tessa! One cup of coffee does not a good employee make!_

Kaetlyn grins and sits down across from her desk, and Tessa tries to look her over with a professional, unbiased eye. She has a nice smile and kind brown eyes, and even though her plaid shirt clashes a little with the skirt and loafers she’s wearing, it’s nothing some gentle encouragement and fashion advice won’t fix. She’s a little awkward and clumsy, but there’s definitely a lot of raw potential just waiting for the right person to shape into something better.

“So, Kaetlyn, why do you want to work here?”

“Because I think what you’re doing here is amazing,” Kaetlyn says enthusiastically, adjusting her glasses again slightly before continuing, and Tessa makes a mental note to discuss contacts with her at some point, or maybe buy her a new pair next time she's at BonLook, “You’re bettering the world one life at a time. I think it’s noble and inspiring.”

“Thank you! But this job isn’t easy. It can be hard work and sometimes long hours, and we do everything it takes for our clients.” She does her best to sound stern, and Kaetlyn nods seriously.

“That won’t be a problem, Miss Virtue, you can count on me. I’m a hard worker and eager to learn and I would do anything for this job.”

“I like you Kaetlyn,” Tessa decides, and _not_ just because she has excellent taste in beverages, “I think we’ll get along well. I’m asking seriously this time, when can you start? Is tomorrow too soon?”

“Nope! Tomorrow sounds perfect. Thank you, Miss Virtue!”

“Please, call me Tessa.”  

         

****

 

“So have you set up a date with Mac yet?” Scott waltzes into the break room the next morning carrying a box of donuts and looking entirely too pleased with himself, and Tessa groans as she sips on her lukewarm water. The coffee machine isn’t working right (somehow it’s coming out chunky, and she does _not_ feel like investigating further at the moment), which means not only did she toss and turn all night – plagued by anxieties over how a new employee would change their office dynamic and whether or not she’d be a good boss - but now there isn’t even coffee to help her through the morning.  

“Of course not.”

“Why?” Scott bumps her shoulder with his, almost making her spill, and Tessa glowers at him, “He seemed so qualified. A little green, maybe, but I’m sure he’ll be able to legally drink soon.”

“Stop it. It was kind of cute that he had a crush, even if it meant I couldn’t hire him. He sounded so sad when I told him the position had been filled. I felt bad,” She lets out a little sigh, guilt still churning around in her stomach. It was the right choice, obviously, but she hates disappointing people and Mac had made it very clear he was disappointed. He’d _cried_ , and Tessa had almost given him the job just to make him stop.

“That’s because he never got to try a position with you,” Scott shoots back and Tessa punches him in the arm, her cheeks turning beet red at the innuendo.

“ _Scott!”_

He busts up laughing at her horrified expression, bending over at the waist and reaching one hand out to use her arm for support, and Tessa closes her mouth and rolls her eyes – jerking her arm violently away to shrug him off. He doesn’t get to use her for support when he’s teasing her – it’s not allowed.

“I have to give him props though,” Scott manages to say once he’s regained his composure, “It takes some serious guts to walk into a job interview and try to score a date with the employer. Do you think he can give me any tips?”

“The only place with dating tips for you would be definitely-single-forever dot com,” Tessa snarks, turning up her nose at him.

“Oww, Virtch, you wound me.”

“That’s impossible. Your ego could withstand anything.”

“Now you’re saying I have a big head?”

"If the cowboy hat fits,” She shrugs, jumping out of reach of Scott’s fingers before he can tickle her ribs in retaliation. He throws his napkin at her head instead, laughing and cheering loudly when she bats it away just in time and it lands in the garbage can.

“An excellent goal for Tessa Virtue with an assist by teammate Scott Moir!” He cups his hands together to make a sound like a crowd cheering in the background and Tessa rolls her eyes and tries (and fails) not to smile.  

“You’re such a dork.”

“Please. Beneath all those fancy pantsuits and dresses, we both know you’re a bigger dork than I am. You may have the rest of the world fooled, kiddo, but you can’t fool me.” He winks and swallows the rest of his donut before kissing her on the cheek with a loud smack – leaving a trail of sticky, glazed residue on her skin – and walking out the door towards his office.

The sound of the office front door opening kicks her into action, and Tessa grabs a napkin and wipes the glaze off her cheek before running out to greet Kaetlyn, quickly checking her appearance in the glass of the painting in the hallway to make sure she still looks professional.

It’s ridiculous, but she feels _nervous_. As if she’s the one starting a new job. Which, in a way, she is. She’s never been someone’s boss before (she tried bossing Scott around when they first started. It hadn’t worked), and she desperately wants to be a good one.

“Good morning, Kaetlyn! I hope your commute wasn’t too bad this morning.”

Kaetlyn nearly stumbles as she jumps up from the chair in the foyer, but rights herself before an accident can occur and scoops up the coffee she’d brought and hands it to Tessa.

“Good morning, Miss Virtue! My commute was fine, thank you. I brought you more coffee.”

“Bless you,” Tessa takes it, holding the cup gingerly like it’s the most precious gift, “Our machine broke this morning. You have no idea what a lifesaver this is. And please, it’s just Tessa, remember? We’re pretty casual around here.”

“Tessa,” Kaetlyn corrects herself somewhat timidly, and Tessa tries to smile as encouragingly as she can.

“As my assistant I want you to think of me not just as your boss, but also as a friend and mentor.”

“I do!” Kaetlyn hastily agrees, and Tessa grins.

“Good! Because you aren’t here just to answer phones and greet clients and do research, you’re here to grow, learn, and become the accomplished woman I know you can be.”

Kaetlyn does a sort of helpless, one-armed shrug and says, “Okay.”

“Not okay,” Tessa gently corrects her, “We’re women who can do anything we set our minds to. I want you to say hell yes!”

“Hell yes!” She shoots her fist up high and Tessa reaches up for a high five.  

“Exactly!”          

“You’re so confident,” Kaetlyn says, tucking some of her hair behind her ear, “How do you do it?”

Tessa laughs and the ball of anxiety in her stomach loosens a little, “Practice and a great wardrobe.”

“So, um, are you saying my wardrobe needs more confidence?” She looks down at her button down shirt and skinny jeans paired with ballet flats, and Tessa tilts her head and looks over her choices as well.

“You dress fine for a straight out of college assistant. Those shoes are adorable! But you have to dress for the life you want, not the one you have. Look for bold colors and structured jackets – things that say, ‘Look out world, here’s Kaetlyn!’”

“Okay,” Kaetlyn agrees, then grins and switches her answer, “I mean, hell yes!”

“There’s that can-do attitude I love! Now, I’ve called our I.T. guy to come set up your computer, but until he gets here why don’t I give you a tour? This will be your desk,” Tessa gestures towards the large desk by the front door, “Feel free to personalize it however you want. Just around the corner is our break room and kitchen area and the bathrooms, and down that hallway are the offices. The one on the left is empty right now so we’re using it for storage, but Scott is the first one on the right and I’m in the back right corner.”

“Scott? Is he the man I saw yesterday?”

“Oh, I forgot you haven’t officially met. Come on, I’ll introduce you.”

Tessa leads her down the short hallway and walks into Scott’s office without warning (if he didn’t want her to just walk in, why leave the door open, right?).

“Sure, T, just come on in,” Scott says sarcastically without looking up from his computer, and Tessa takes that as confirmation that she was right about their open door policy.

“I thought we agreed our doors should always be open for each other,” Tessa shoots back, her face purposely open and guileless as she smiles at him, and Scott groans.

“I knew I’d regret that rule someday.”

“Kaetlyn, this is Scott. He handles the boring numbers side of things at the company.”

“I think you mean the _important_ side of things, but sure,” He corrects her as he stands up and walks over to them, reaching out and shaking Kaetlyn’s hand, “It’s nice to meet you.”  

“How long have you two been working together?” Kaetlyn asks and Scott looks over at Tessa with a fond smile.

“Two years here, but we’ve known each other since we were children, and Tessa’s sister is married to my brother.”

“Oh,” Kaetlyn nods with an understanding smile, “So you’re kind of like siblings then.”

_Siblings_?! Tessa snorts and then tries to cover it up with a cough. The idea is too preposterous. She and Scott are just… they just are.

“Uh… no,” Scott chuckles, rubbing the back of his neck, “We’re just best friends.”

“I would never do the kinds of things I do with Scott with my brothers,” Tessa jokes, then immediately blushes when she realizes how that sounded, “I mean, because we used to dance competitively. It would have been pretty awkward to do the tango with Kevin or Casey. Not because we do anything else.”

She stumbles and trips over the explanation, her efforts to clarify not helped by the way Scott is grinning at her like he’s already come up with a hundred and one ways to tease her about this later (usually he’s the one wording things wrong, hello _still love doing it with your partner_ dance competition interview of 2010), so she knows he’s relishing this moment, and she’s only saved by the front door opening again and a male voice shouting hello.

“We should go see who that is,” Tessa announces, desperate to escape, “Come on, Kaetlyn.”  

She drags Kaetlyn back to the foyer where a young man with dirty blonde hair and a messenger bag slung over his shoulder is waiting for them, a polo shirt with their I.T. company’s logo immediately identifying his purpose.

“Hi, I’m Trennt,” He greets them with a cheerful wave and a friendly, dimpled smile, “We got a call about setting up a computer?”

“Yes, of course. Thank you for coming so quickly. It’s this one here at the front desk,” Tessa points and Trennt saunters over to it and starts setting up his stuff. “This is Kaetlyn and the computer will be for her so it’s important that she’s happy with it.”  

“No problem!” Trennt smiles up at Kaetlyn and Tessa notices the way she blushes and smiles back, but dismisses the thought as quickly as it came. Kaetlyn seems like the type of person to smile and blush when meeting anyone new. “It shouldn’t take long to get going and then I’ll walk you through it. We’ve got some new programs and the email system was upgraded over the weekend.”

“That would be great,” Kaetlyn says, already dragging a chair up to sit by him and grabbing her notepad and pen to take notes, “Thank you!”

“No problem. I’ll fix ya right up!” It’s almost comical the way he freezes and glances back and forth between Kaetlyn and Tessa, before awkwardly trying to correct himself, “Um, not you, I mean your computer. You’re in great shape. I meant that figuratively.”

“It’s okay,” Kaetlyn laughs sweetly, “I understand.”

Trennt seems capable enough, even if kind of adorably nervous, and Tessa has a million thing to do before the weekend so she turns to go, “Well I’ll leave you guys to it! Kaetlyn, come find me when you’re finished.”

Thanks to all of the time wasted interviewing other applicants all week, she’s got quite a hefty list of client emails to catch up on, phone calls to return, and a new article to write for the website about how to improve your life and flaunt your best features. Maybe she’ll have Kaetlyn do some research for that today. It seems like the perfect thing to ease her into the job. 

“I told you so!” Scott calls out as she passes his office, and Tessa freezes with her hand on her doorknob, turning around and marching through his door.

“Excuse me?”

He leans back in his chair, arms folded behind his head, and she desperately wants to wipe that smug grin right off his face, “I told you to hire an assistant and I was right. She’s great! Admit this was a good idea.”

Tessa folds her arms over her chest in defiance, “I’ll admit that having some extra help around here will probably be a good thing.”

“And…” Scott prods, clearly not willing to let this go.

“And Kaetlyn seems really nice,” Tessa adds, pressing her lips shut tight and raising her eyebrows when Scott gestures for her to continue.  

“And…”

“And…” She really doesn’t want to say it, but he’s going to bug her all day if she doesn’t. And probably all during their movie night tonight, too. “Fine,” She concedes with a heavy sigh, “You were right.”

“Ha! Thank you.”

“Are you going to hold this over my head forever?”

“Only until I’m right about the next thing,” Scott grins and Tessa shakes her head with an equal mixture of affection and exasperation.  

“Haven’t you learned by now that when you think you’re right, and I think I’m right, usually I’m the one who’s right?”

“Actually, yes,” He admits with a laugh, “Which is why I savor these moments with such relish.”

“Well don’t get used to it, it won’t happen again.” She spins around and heads out of his office, intending to have the last word, but Scott gleefully shouts after her.

“We’ll see about that!”

         


	3. Chapter Three

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tessa has lunch with Midori and subtly influences Kaetlyn's love life. Her newest matchmaking client arrives.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There aren't any aunt/niece pairings in the ice dance world, so bear with me here for the sake of the story. ;)

** first impressions **

****

“This place is very fancy, Tessa,” Midori comments, looking around at the sleek wood furniture and ornate chandeliers as she takes her seat at one of the corner tables of the restaurant, “We could have eaten somewhere less extravagant.”

“Don’t be silly,” Tessa gestures for Kaetlyn to sit down before taking a seat herself and ordering lemon water for the table, “This is a work lunch and The London Club is one of the places we’re checking out as one of your potential wedding venues. They’re even throwing in free cake samples for us. I’ll take the receipt to Scott and we’ll get it all written off as a business expense, so feel free to order whatever you want.”

Tessa nearly laughs at how nervous Midori and Kaetlyn look as they glance at the menu. Sure, it’s a bit excessive, but it’s priced that way for a reason. The London Club has existed for 135 years and is one of the most upscale venues in the city. It’s the perfect place to start planning the elegant wedding of one of Canada’s star athletes and his bride.

(Okay, that might be a stretch to call him a star, but he’s her client and friend so she she's allowed to think of him as such.)

“Well, as long as it’s okay,” Midori finally begrudgingly agrees, but Tessa can see her eyes fixed on the shrimp pad thai and knows she’s won her friend over. She herself feels strongly tempted by the dessert menu, although she really shouldn’t indulge at lunch when she has a perfectly good pint of ice cream waiting for her at home.

“It’s more than okay. Now, tell me what’s new with you.”

“Well, you’ll never guess who emailed to congratulate me on my engagement.”

There’s a mischievous gleam in Midori’s eye that Tessa’s not quite sure she likes. The last time she saw that particular look was the last time they talked about _her_. 

Tessa looks at her friend long and hard for a sign that they're about to discuss that dreaded topic, but Midori stays resolutely straight-faced, and so Tessa tentatively asks, “Who?”

Midori smirks, “Kaitlyn Weaver.”

_Dammit!_ She _knew_ that would be the answer. If they’re really going to have this conversation, Tessa’s going to need that malted chocolate cake she saw. Maybe the apple tart tatin as well.

"Ugh. Isn’t she lost in a jungle somewhere?” Tessa grimaces, stabbing at her chicken salad with more force than necessary and causing a cherry tomato to go flying across the table. Thankfully it’s caught by Kaetlyn before it can cross the gap and meet their neighbors, but Tessa still blushes in embarrassment. 

She's supposed to be setting an example for Kaetlyn as her boss and mentor, but something about Kaitlyn Weaver's name always turns her into a petulant five year old. 

“She’s in Cambodia serving in the Peace Corps, as you very well know,” Midori reminds her with a chuckle, “Apparently her program ends soon.”

“Oh yeah,” Tessa huffs. Of course she remembers that. How could she ever forget? Nobody has let her forget about Kaitlyn for longer than a week in years. “How did she find out you were getting married?”

“Suzanne emailed her,” Midori explains like it's obvious, “You know they’re in constant contact.”

Tessa nods. She could have guessed as much. It figures that even halfway around the world Kaitlyn still somehow has time to keep up on all the news from their little corner of Ontario. “Suzanne is a sweetheart, but her niece is the worst.”

“I’m sorry,” Kaetlyn interjects, “Who are these people?”

“Suzanne Killing Wood was mine and Scott’s ballroom dance coach for many years, and Kaitlyn is her niece from Texas. She went to Western University, too, and somehow Suzanne convinced me to let her room with me and Midori.” Tessa explains, nearly wincing at the memory.

When Suzanne had suggested that she take in the niece she’d been boasting about for years, Tessa had seen it as an opportunity to make her favorite coach happy and gain a new friend, but it had quickly become apparent that she and the blonde were doomed to be the exact opposite.

“Tessa hates her,” Midori adds, and Kaetlyn’s eyes become as wide as saucers.

“Tessa hates someone? I don’t believe it.”

“I don’t hate her,” Tessa corrects her best friend quickly, smiling reassuringly at Kaetlyn, “I don’t hate anyone. We just don’t get along very well and I don’t understand why everyone adores her so much.”

Midori waves her off and leans forward, like she’s about to dish the _real_ story and Tessa is merely wasting time, “Kait and Scott dated for like a month sophomore year and Tessa’s _never_ forgiven her.”

"That’s not true!” Tessa protests loudly and throws a crouton at Midori, earning a few judgmental glances from the other people in the restaurant, “I just didn’t appreciate the way she acted like she’d _won_ while they dated.”

“Oh she did not act like that,” Midori rolls her eyes, holding up her hand when Tessa opens her mouth to disagree, “Don’t you think maybe you were seeing things that weren’t there?”

“She did though!” Tessa argues back, refusing to give up any ground. Just because Midori got along annoyingly well with their third roommate, doesn’t mean Tessa doesn’t know what was _really_ going on when she wasn’t around to play peacekeeper. They were nemeses, through and through.

“See? You’re still mad about it all these years later.”

“It’s not just that,” Tessa insists, feeling the need to defend herself in front of her assistant, “It’s the fact that we were always competing for the top spots academically, and now she’s in the _Peace Corps_ saving the world, and literally every email I get from Suzanne seems to add ten more accomplishments to her list. ‘Dear Tess, Kait built a school this week! Kait stopped the spread of an infectious disease! Kait is singlehandedly educating all the children! Kait delivered a local woman’s baby with no training!’ It just bugs me. Nobody is that perfect.”

Midori laughs and shakes her head, “I’m not sure see sees it as a competition.”

“That makes it worse!”

“She’s jealous,” Midori whispers conspiratorially to Kaetlyn, making sure that Tessa can hear her, and Tessa glares at her best friend. _Traitor._

“I could have joined the Peace Corps if there was a Canadian version. It’s not my fault I’m not half-American like Kaitlyn.”

Midori just hums and sips her wine, her smirk a little too knowing for Tessa’s taste.

“Whatever,” Tessa harrumphs, crossing her arms over her chest and sinking further into her chair, “Let’s talk about something else. Kaetlyn has prepared a binder of information for you to help get started with the wedding planning. How does it feel to be engaged? Are you still glad you said yes?”

Tessa nudges Kaetlyn in the arm and winks, and her assistant giggles as Midori looks up at them with a radiant smile. Any thoughts of teasing Tessa about old rivalries long gone at the mere mention of her fiancé.

“Absolutely. It feels like a dream. Like I woke up in that dance sequence from Sleeping Beauty.”

“I love you I walked with you once upon a dream,” Kaetlyn sings quietly, her cheeks blushing a pretty shade of pink when she realizes she was speaking out loud.

“Yes, exactly,” Midori nods encouragingly and smiles, “He’s my Prince Charming.”

“I think Prince Charming was the love interest in Snow White,” Tessa corrects her, “Prince Phillip was in Sleeping Beauty.”

"Okay, nerd,” Midori laughs, “He’s my Prince Phillip. She knew what I meant, right?” She gestures towards Kaetlyn, who nods.

A sort of dreamy look comes over Kaetlyn’s face at the mention of  _prince charming_ that doesn’t go ignored by either of the women beside her.

“I think you know exactly what I’m talking about,” Midori smirks knowingly, and Kaetlyn blushes again, biting her lip and staring fixedly at the sandwich on her plate.

“What’s happened?” Tessa asks, genuinely curious. She has noticed an extra bounce in Kaetlyn’s step the past two weeks, but she just chalked it up to the girl enjoying her new job or maybe her natural disposition. Has she miscalculated?

"I’ve been on a couple of dates,” Kaetlyn admits quietly, shoving her glasses up her nose in a gesture that Tessa has come to realize is more of a nervous reflex than genuine necessity.

“You have?” Tessa asks. She's totally prying, but she's a  _matchmaker_. It's her job. 

“Tell us about him,” Midori says at the same time, propping her chin up on the table with an eager smile.

She’s always loved a good romance, it’s one of the reasons she and Tessa get along so well. They’d instantly bonded back in college when they’d sat next to each other in Psych 101 and plotted the romance between their two T.A.’s, and the friendship had stuck ever since - fed on a steady diet of romcoms, novels, and a little bit of healthy gossip.

“He works in I.T.-“ Kaetlyn begins, and Tessa sits up straight as the realization dawns on her that she knows exactly who she's talking about.

“Trennt? You’re dating Trennt?”

“Who’s Trennt?” Midori asks, glancing back and forth between them, “Is he a mutual friend?”

“He’s our I.T. guy at the office,” Tessa explains to her friend before turning back to her apparently super-secretive assistant, “You must have only interacted for twenty minutes. How did this happen?”

“Well, he said he had an extra ticket to The Girl on the Train and wondered if I might want to go with him, and since I love Emily Blunt, I said yes. Then last weekend we played mini golf, and last night we went to dinner at Moxie’s. He’s really nice.”

Three dates? Three dates in just two weeks?  Three dates and Kaetlyn never mentioned a word about it? Tessa had thought they were becoming friends. _Good_ friends. Even Scott had mentioned that they had bonded quickly, which is something that rarely happens for Tessa. She’s much more of a surface-level friend until she really gets to know somebody. But maybe she’d been wrong. Friends are supposed to tell each other when they go on dates.

“Sounds like it might be getting serious,” Midori says with a gentle, encouraging smile that Kaetlyn returns immediately.

“I don’t know. Things are moving so fast.”

“Very fast,” Tessa says, her brow furrowing and her lips curling downwards, “Almost too fast, don’t you think?”

“You think it’s too fast?” Kaetlyn asks quickly, and Tessa can tell immediately that the girl sincerely cares about her opinion. She has to tread carefully if she wants to avoid hurting or offending her.

“Every relationship is different. But you just met and you’re both young. It might be wise to take things slow at first. You don’t want to jump into something and close yourself off to other options.”

“But if she likes him, she should see where it goes,” Midori contends, giving Tessa a sharp look, but she ignores the obvious warning.

Kaetlyn is only twenty-one and fresh out of university. There’s no way she’s seen enough of the world, or of men, to know what she truly wants. And there’s definitely no way that Trennt, as sweet as he seems to be, is thinking seriously about this relationship (an I.T. guy whose idea of romance is mini golf? Please). Her assistant is clearly smitten, so she’s in no position to make a rational decision about this, which leaves it to Tessa to steer her in the right direction and prevent her from making a monumental mistake.

“She should play the field a bit,” Tessa argues with her friend before turning in her chair to face Kaetlyn head on, “This is the perfect time in your life to date around. Meet lots of guys or girls and experiment a little. See what you like before you settle down into something long-term.”

“You think so?” Kaetlyn’s voice wavers and she looks back and forth between Tessa and Midori before finally settling on her boss. “You don’t think I should date Trennt?”

"I’m not telling you what to do, I’m just saying you should think about it a little more.”

“Okay, you’re probably right, I, um –“ Kaetlyn stammers and waves her hand around, as if she’s not sure what to do with her limbs, and she accidentally knocks her glass over and spills soda all over her lap.

“Oh no! Here,” Tessa starts immediately dabbing at the stain with her napkin, soaking up as much of the dark sticky liquid as she can, “Run to the restroom and use cold water and a towel. Don’t rub it or you’ll make it worse. Ask the waitress for some club soda on your way there, that should help too.”

Kaetlyn thanks her and takes off, nearly knocking over another tray of drinks in her haste, and Tessa bites the inside of her lip to keep from laughing. The poor girl just can’t catch a break sometimes.

“Isn’t she great?” Tessa turns to Midori with a smile as soon as Kaetlyn is out of earshot.

“She is! Adorable. She kind of reminds me of a fawn or some other woodland creature. I’m glad Scott forced you to hire her.”

“Okay, now he’s just rewriting history. Why did I ever introduce you two?” Tessa pretends to complain, but can’t keep the little smile off her face. It’s an old argument that dates back to their shared time at Western. Every girl dreams that her two best friends will get along, until the day they meet and decide to use their shared friendship to tease the girl. They’ve been a proverbial thorn in her side ever since.

“Because you knew it would take two of us to deal with the powerhouse that is Tessa Virtue?” Midori jokes, and Tessa’s not entirely sure if that was a compliment or not.

“Scott hardly needs someone to help him tease me. He does that just fine on his own.”

“I know,” Midori replies, “And you love it, don’t even try to deny it.”

"I haven’t kicked him out yet, so I guess so,” Tessa agrees with a laugh, “Even though he drives me crazy sometimes. I told him I was going to make Kaetlyn my new project, and he made it very clear that he doesn’t think it’s a good idea.”  

“Like, take her on as a client?” Midori’s eyebrows shoot up towards her hairline and she frowns a little, “Did she ask you to do that?”

“No, it’s a pro bono thing,” Tessa explains, “Just a few gentle pushes here and there. Did you notice her jacket? I recommended that and she looks amazing.”

Kaetlyn’s wearing a great structured blazer today, the exact one Tessa had pointed out online a week ago, and it had filled her with a strange sense of pride and satisfaction when Kaetlyn had walked in that morning with it on. She carries herself a little differently than she does in the baggy plaid shirts she’d worn when they first met, and it’s noticeable.

“She does, but Tessa… she’s your employee.” There’s a gentle reprimand in Midori’s voice that sounds eerily similar to Scott's, a clear sign that she needs to stop her best friends from talking so much. They’re starting to get that same crease between their eyebrows when she does something they don’t entirely approve of.

“I know that. I just want her to see how much bigger the world is than just London, Ontario, and that she can be part of it, if she wants to. She can do anything she puts her mind to. Didn’t you notice how confident she seemed when she walked in? How could that be anything other than a good thing?”

“It is a good thing,” Midori tentatively agrees, “Just as long as you’re not trying to change her.”

“I’m not. It’s just about helping her become her best self.”

"Oh,” Midori exclaims, nearly giving Tessa whiplash with how fast she changes the subject (not that she’s complaining. She isn’t in the mood for a lecture), “Speaking of clients, I meant to tell you that I recommended you to someone and I think he might try to stop by your office today. His name is Ryan Semple and he’s an alpine skier and a friend of Alex’s.”

“Well, I don’t normally like to take appointments so last minute,” Tessa hedges. Actually, she hates it. Despite what some people might think, she does actually put a lot of work into each client, and the bigger the job the more time she needs to prepare, “But any friend of yours is a friend of mine. What does he need help with?”

Midori smiles widely, like a game show host about to announce that she's won a brand new car, “Your favorite: matchmaking.”

 

****

 

After lunch ends and they bid farewell to Midori, Tessa and Kaetlyn rush back to the office - blowing in like a hurricane as they rush towards Kaetlyn’s computer. They throw their purses down on the floor behind them without so much as a glance and pull up Google as quickly as possible.

The page loads instantly, and it's moments like these that Tessa can sometimes hears the old dial-up screeches in the back of her mind - she's eternally grateful technology has come such a long way, otherwise these last minute appointments would be impossible.

“Hurry!” Tessa commands over Kaetlyn’s shoulder, urging the girl’s fingers to type faster, “We have to look this guy up. It’s Semple, S E M P L E. I need to find out everything we can about him and he could be here any minute!”

“Did Midori say what time he would arrive?” Kaetlyn asks, misspelling a word three times in her hurry to search for information. 

“No,” Tessa huffs in annoyance, “He might not come at all, but better safe than sorry.”

“Oh, he’s cute,” Kaetlyn says with a smile as Ryan’s face appears on the screen, clicking through a few of his pictures at various business events or skiing competitions.

Tessa will agree that he’s not bad. Wavy hair, nice eyes, and a bottom lip that looks very kissable, but he’s not really her type. Not that it really matters what she thinks, because he’s coming to her to find his soulmate, which means she needs to bring her A game and focus if she’s going to keep her perfect record and go twenty for twenty.

“Who’s cute?” Scott asks, appearing around the corner with a half-eaten apple in his hand and watching them both with amusement. He walks over to stand next to Tessa and slings an arm around her shoulders, looking down curiously at the computer. “That guy?”

"He’s our new client, courtesy of Midori,” Tessa explains, and Scott forces her to lean forward with him so that he can get a better look at the screen, the apple crunching loudly as he takes another bite.

“Oh, I know that guy. He’s been at the bar a few times when the guys get together. Alex’s friend. Kind of snobby.”

“Scott!” Tessa protests, shrugging his arm away, “He’s going to be our client. You can’t talk about him like that. Besides, anyone would be snobby if they’re forced to get drinks at Molly Bloom's when they’re used to something better, and he dresses like he makes a lot of money.”

"You love Molly Bloom's, T,” Scott reminds her with a jab, and Tessa rolls her eyes. Of course she does. It's been their hang-out spot for years and is full of happy memories. But Ryan is a  _Businessman_ with a capital B. It doesn't really seem like his kind of vibe. 

“What else do we know, Kaetlyn?”

“He’s from Montreal and will be thirty-four in October. He competed in two Olympics, but didn’t do very well in either of them. He went to boarding school in Ottawa. Now he works as an Angel Investor in Toronto,” Kaetlyn rattles off each item quickly, listing them with her fingers as she goes, and Tessa nods along.

“Good, good. That’s a great start. So we know he’ll have high standards.”

“He sounds pretentious,” Scott mutters just as the bell above the door jingles and the man himself walks in.

He’s dressed in a black designer leather jacket, fitted jeans, and suede shoes – a pair of Ray Bans perched on his nose that he takes off with a flourish. Like a movie star would on the red carpet. Tessa’s almost surprised when he doesn’t swish his hair and flash them a sparkling white grin in slow motion like in a cheesy montage.

“I parked my bike out front. I hope that’s okay,” He says by way of greeting, and Tessa’s about to tell him that no, actually, he can’t park directly in front of their door, when Kaetlyn speaks instead.

“You have a motorcycle? I love motorcycles!”

“Yeah,” Ryan responds, finally flashing that celebrity smile Tessa knew he’d have, “It’s the new 2016 Indian Chief. I’ll show you later, if you want.”

“I’d love that!” Kaetlyn smiles brighter than Tessa has ever seen, and for a second she wonders what exactly is happening here, “My dad restores motorcycles so I grew up around them. I’d love to get a look at yours. Your bike, I mean,” She adds with a blush, and Tessa smiles to herself.

_Interesting_.

“What’s your name?” Ryan reaches out and Kaetlyn shakes his hand, the blush still lingering on her cheeks.

“Kaetlyn. I’m the receptionist here.”

“Oh, she’s so much more than that,” Tessa interjects, sticking her own hand out to greet their newest client. Although something tells her he may not be their client for long. “She’s my assistant and a total lifesaver and miracle worker. I’m Tessa Virtue.”

“Of course you are. Midori’s friend. Your fame precedes you. I’m Ryan Semple, although I guess you probably already knew that.”

“Ryan,” Scott cuts in, reaching out to take Ryan’s hand - forcing him to let go of Tessa’s so that he can shake it, “Good to see you again.”

“It’s Shawn, right?” Ryan says, squinting a little as he looks at Scott like he’s trying to remember him.

“Scott, actually,” Scott replies with an easy smile, and if Tessa didn’t know him so well she’d say he was being friendly. But as it is, she _does_ know Scott, and she knows when he’s just faking it to be nice. He gets these little creases on the sides of his eyes that are an obvious giveaway. “We’ve met a few times at guy’s night with Alex. Although I think you’ve spent most of those on the phone.”

“Well, you know how it is with business. The work never ends.”

“Sure. Well, speaking of, I’d better get back to my own work. Ladies,” Scott nods goodbye and walks away, and Tessa watches him go for a moment (she’s pretty sure he’s had those pants for like five years) before turning back towards their guest.

“Well Ryan, why don’t we head back into my office and get to know one another a little better and discuss why you’re here.”

“It would be my pleasure.”

Tessa leads him down the hallway, noticing gratefully that Scott had closed his usually open door and spared them another confrontation or judgmental look, and leads him into her office – gesturing for him to take a seat opposite her desk and make himself comfortable.

“It’s so nice to finally meet you, Tessa, I’ve heard a lot about you from Alex and Midori.” Ryan crosses his ankle over his knee and leans back in the chair a little, making his pants and shirt stretch tighter on his body, and Tessa wonders if he thinks this is part of how she evaluates people before setting them up on a date (it isn’t, she tries to never, ever think about what her clients have going on physically. It’s not essential information).

“All good things, I hope.” She replies brightly, shuffling the papers on her desk for something to do with her hands before grabbing her favorite notebook and digging out a pen to take notes.

“The best. Midori showed me that picture of the two of you at that foam party in Cabo-“

“She didn’t!” Tessa gasps, dropping the pen on the table with a clatter. She is going to _kill_ Midori for that. They’d been drunk and on a girl’s trip after finishing finals their penultimate year of college and what had started out as a vacation purely for rest and relaxation had quickly turned into more of a “girls gone wild” scenario. She blushes when she thinks of the tiny bikini she’d been wearing in those photos. It’s not exactly the kind of first impression she wants to give clients.

“She did. And I just knew I had to meet that woman. May I just say, you exceed my expectations.”

“Well, thank you I guess, “ Tessa stammers, trying to regain her footing. She’s supposed to be a professional! Who cares if he's seen her in her swimsuit? 

_Pull it together, Tessa!_

“So, Ryan, Midori said you were interested in our matchmaking services. Tell me a little bit about what you’re looking for in a partner. Male, female-“

“Female, definitely,” He cuts in with a sharp, almost reprimanding smile, “Someone beautiful, preferably brunette, athletic, enjoys motorcycles and dressing up for fancy events. Interested in business investment. I attend a lot of posh, _important_ events for work and it would be nice to have someone with me who can hold a conversation with my coworkers. More than a pretty face, basically, although the face is important, too.” He winks at her like they’re sharing a joke, and Tessa smiles awkwardly. “Also she needs to be charitable. We invest in a few local charities each year and that’s really important to me.”

_Oh good, he isn’t completely shallow_ , Tessa thinks, and then dismisses the thought as quickly as it came. She barely knows him, and she did _ask_ what he’s looking for. It’s not a crime to want a partner who’s attractive. “That’s wonderful! It’s always nice to know people care about their community.”

“Sure,” Ryan shrugs, “It also makes the company look good, so it’s win, win. Are you interested in stuff like that?”

She’s not sure how that’s relevant to the conversation, but she does find it important to befriend her clients so that she can better gauge who will be the right partner, so she answers his question with a friendly smile, “I volunteer at a few of my mother’s charity events each year. And Scott and I always do things related to ballroom dance when we can, like teaching free classes to the local kids and stuff.”

“Scott?”

“My business partner. You just met him in the foyer,” Tessa speaks slowly, trying not to look at Ryan like he’s a complete idiot. She can’t tell if he genuinely doesn’t remember, or if he’s being purposely obtuse. Either way, it doesn’t reflect very well on him.

“Oh, of course,” Ryan laughs, “Sorry. I meet a lot of people every day and it can be hard to keep track of names. I remember now. He’s a pretty good pool player.”

“Yes,” Tessa sits back in surprise at his apparent sudden regain in memory, “Yes, he is. I’ve lost my fair share of cash to him over the years.”

“He won about fifty bucks off me last time the guys went out. I need to find a way to get him back,” Ryan chuckles and Tessa finds herself joining in.

She's not quite sure about him, but he's attractive, smart, successful, and seems friendly. He might even be one of her easiest clients yet.

With any luck, she might just have him paired up by the new year.                             

                

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Edited at 1:00AM (oops!) so sorry for any mistakes.


	4. Chapter Four

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things are moving right along on the Ryan front, and Tessa and Scott argue about what's best for Kaetlyn.

**for a very special lady **

 

“Can you believe they’re getting divorced after twelve years?” Kaetlyn asks as she carefully pulls out her homemade peanut butter and jelly sandwich and a bag of apple slices from a brown paper lunch bag, “And with six kids together, too. It’s so sad.”

"It is tragic,” Tessa agrees, grabbing a second mug and getting to work preparing another helping of hot cocoa – letting the first one cool off a little by the machine. It’s become a daily lunchtime tradition, the two of them taking a break in the lunchroom and agreeing _not_ to discuss anything work related for at least thirty whole minutes, and now that it’s winter and Tessa’s stocked up on enough Swiss Mix Keurig cups to last a lifetime, they’ve added a little chocolate indulgence to their routine as well.

“I don’t think I believe the rumors that he was abusive, do you? He seems so nice.”

It’s sweet how genuinely concerned Kaetlyn looks, and Tessa can’t help but feel the same way. Everyone her age and older with even the slightest interest in men has had a crush on Brad Pitt at some point, and the idea that he might be a bad father is heartbreaking.

"Looks can be deceiving, but no, I don’t think so. The FBI just announced that he was cleared.”

“Thank heavens,” Kaetlyn takes a loud, crunchy bite of an apple slice and smiles fondly, “He’s so dreamy.”

“Mmm,” Tessa hums in agreement, “He was definitely dreamiest in the mid-nineties, though. Meet Joe Black is an amazing film, and I especially love Legends of the Fall, even though it always makes me cry. I’ve always thought the theme song from that movie would make a beautiful dance. It’s so evocative.”

"I like Fight Club. Trennt and I watched it together before…” Her voice trails off for a minute, before she visibly shakes herself and forcibly perks back up, “Anyway, he was hot in that one.”

Tessa feels a brief pang of guilt, but it fades quickly. It’s only natural for Kaetlyn to still be a little hung up on her crush, but she’s moving past it. Soon she’ll be able to talk about it without any pain or awkwardness at all – especially if she’s moved on to someone else like Tessa hopes. (Which is good, because Tessa’s pretty sure her computer has a bug and she’ll need to call him soon.)

“Ugh,” She scrunches up her nose in distaste, “Scott likes that one too, but I just couldn’t get into it. Too much fighting.”

“Well,” Kaetlyn says slowly, a sly smile tugging at the corner of her mouth, “That is sort of in the name.”

Tessa groans and rolls her eyes, playfully kicking Kaetlyn’s shin with her toe, “Now you sound like him.”

Kaetlyn grins and happily accepts the cup of cocoa from Tessa with gratitude. But before Tessa can sit down and try to convince Kaetlyn why there are so many better Brad Pitt movies to choose from as a favorite, the bell in the foyer above their office door jingles - informing them that someone has just arrived.

“Oh, I should go get that,” Kaetlyn moves to get up, but Tessa stops her with a wave of her hand.

“Sit, finish your lunch. I’ll go.”

She rounds the corner to find a stocky messenger boy standing by the front door. His wet boots are leaving dark patches in the rug, but thankfully he seems to possess enough sense not to tread on their nice hardwood flooring as he stands there awkwardly looking around.

“I’m supposed to deliver this to Tessa Virtue directly,” He says lazily as soon as he sees her, holding out a crisp ivory envelope and getting dirt smudges on it with his thumb.

“I’m Tessa Virtue.”

“Here you go then.”

He practically shoves it into her hands, and Tessa flips it back and forth, trying to find a return address or something to identify who it came from. “There’s no name on it.”

The boy just shrugs and leaves. Clearly he’s not being paid to spend any time there past the moment of delivery, which makes answering client questions a waste of his time. Even if the questions are valid.  

It’s a very fancy envelope with her name embossed on the front in shiny gold letters, so at least she knows it probably isn’t hate mail (she’s gotten a nasty letter exactly once since they started this business and she still has nightmares about it sometimes), and Tessa takes it back into the break room with increasing curiosity. Who would anonymously send her something so fancy?

“What is it?” Kaetlyn asks around a mouthful of sandwich as Tessa sits down across from her, “Something good?”

“I have no idea. I wasn’t expecting anything. Maybe it’s a Christmas card? We get them from past clients sometimes.” Tessa pulls out the card inside and reads it out loud, “To a very special lady – oh my god! Kaetlyn, it’s tickets to see The Arkells at the Scotiabank Arena next week!”

She takes the two tickets out of the envelope and hands them to her friend, whose eyes have gone as wide as saucers at the sight of such a treasured gift - her lunch completely forgotten.

“But I thought that was sold out!”

“It is,” Tessa explains eagerly, “But I mentioned it to Ryan and told him how much you wanted to go, and he said he knew one of the managers or something. I guess he pulled some strings!”

 _Does she understand what this means!?_ Tessa feels like she’s going to burst, she’s so excited. This is one of the most obvious declarations of feelings she’s ever seen from one of her clients.

“He got concert tickets for me?” Kaetlyn asks slowly, suddenly nervous and unsure, still holding the tickets gingerly in her hands.

“I told you he liked you,” Tessa answers with a firm nod, reaching out and covering the girl’s hand with her own and smiling softly, “This proves it.”

“I can’t believe this. An Olympic champion is buying me concert tickets.”

"Well, he wasn’t a champion,” Tessa starts to get technical – he shouldn't get the title if he hasn’t earned it – but then decides against continuing. Kaetlyn is excited and this is a big deal, she can let it slide this time, “But he may as well have been! This is amazing!”

It’s more than amazing actually. This is exactly the kind of proof that Tessa has been waiting for and now that it’s finally here she can proceed with her plan with confidence.

 

****

           

The snow is falling in thick flakes over London, the tail end of their latest winter storm that’s only now starting to taper off. It had left them buried under nearly half a meter of snow downtown, more in the surrounding suburbs and farmlands, and Tessa thinks longingly of warm beaches as she treks through t to reach the lilac restaurant on Richmond Street.

There’s a show at the Grand tonight, so parking had been a nightmare – she doesn’t even want to think about how ruined her heels are now – and she’d much rather be heading across the street to get crepes and waffles than heading to Garlic’s for a business dinner.

When Ryan had suggested they have their weekly “status report” meeting here, Tessa hadn’t thought anything of it. They both like to eat good food, and it’s supposed to be an amazing restaurant. But Scott had kept referring to it as her date and it’s messed with her head a little bit.

The thing is, Tessa knows with a surety that Kaetlyn and Ryan are the perfect couple. She can just sense it – when it’s right, it’s right. He’s been coming into the office a few times a week, much more than necessary for her matchmaking services, and he always finds something interesting and engaging to talk about with Kaetlyn, whether it’s motorcycles, the latest Game of Thrones episode, or their weird shared love of celery root juice (yuck).

The age difference is a bit much, she’ll admit, but not insurmountable. And not exactly uncommon, even if a little on the rare side. Ian Somerhalder and Nina Dobrev had been ten years apart, and they were an adorable couple while it lasted.

(The Vampire Diaries had been her guilty pleasure show, and she, Midori, and Scott had spent many hours during their college years debating Stefan versus Damon and how vampires were portrayed in media. Midori preferred TrueBlood, while Scott preferred What We Do In The Shadows.)

Kaetlyn and Ryan just need a little push to see what’s right in front of them, but these things have to be handled with care. Neither of them can know Tessa is secretly pulling the strings by purposely stalling before joining them in the foyer or going through Kaetlyn for all correspondence with him. It has to appear to happen organically.

The secret to achieving excellence in lifestyle management is subtlety. Anyone can lead a horse to water, but it takes a master to help the horse realize that it’s thirsty and let it walk towards water on its own. Or, in this case, introduce two thirty horses and let them find water together. Which is why she intends to use this business dinner as the perfect opportunity to slip a few well-timed comments about Kaetlyn into the conversation, just to keep her fresh and constant in Ryan’s mind.  

Just as long as she isn’t thrown off her game by Scott’s stupid teasing comments about things that are just simply not true. It’s making her feel oddly self-conscious. (Of course the tickets had been addressed to Kaetlyn – Tessa’s name had only been on the front of the envelope because it’s her office, that’s all.)

But no, if she focuses on work – keeps the conversation focused on Ryan’s dating life and as many mentions of Kaetlyn as she can – everything should be fine. She’s Tessa Virtue and she has a perfect success rate. There’s no reason this one should be any different.

"Hi, I’m a little late, but I’m supposed to be meeting Ryan Semple,” Tessa tells the hostess, who nods and leads her to where Ryan is sitting at a secluded, cozy little corner table illuminated mostly by candlelight. With the rustic interior, exposed brick walls, and dim lighting, Tessa would almost call this place romantic. Actually, it would be the perfect place for Ryan and Kaetlyn to have their first date. Maybe this is a trial run so he can get her opinion?

“Tessa,” He smiles warmly as he stands up, taking her hand and guiding her to her seat, “I’m so relieved that you made it here safely. I hope you don’t mind, but since you were late I took the liberty of ordering for us.”

“Oh, well I –“ Tessa stammers, unsure of how to respond to that. She very much does mind, but he’s her client and she can’t exactly be rude to him unless she wants to risk derailing everything she’s been working towards.

"I got you the over-roasted cauliflower. I know you’ll love it.”

Her stomach grumbles and Tessa tries to sound genuine in her thanks, but she’d worked through lunch today and could probably devour a horse right now. The thought of cauliflower, however fancily dressed, doesn’t exactly cause her hunger pangs to abate.

“I wanted to say thank you for all the gifts you’ve been sending to the office,” She deftly sidesteps having to say anything about his dinner choice, “Kaetlyn has especially appreciated the flowers.”

“I’m glad. Did you get the chocolates? I know Lindt is your favorite.”

 _Which ones?_ She wonders sardonically. He’s sent so many boxes over the past few weeks she’s beginning to wonder if he doesn’t actually prefer girls to be a little bigger. Which is fine, it just doesn’t fit anything she’s come to know about him and his preferences.

“Yes. They were delicious, although I think Scott ate half of them when he thought I wasn’t looking.”

It’s meant to be a joke and Tessa chuckles accordingly, but Ryan’s jaw ticks as he merely smiles politely at her comment. He’s so weird about Scott sometimes, even though they know each other and have mutual friends, and if she were a more suspicious person, she might think his feelings border on outright hostility sometimes. Which she just doesn’t understand. Hating Scott is like hating a big friendly dog. _Impossible._

“It really isn’t necessary for you to send gifts though. You hired my services, remember?” She tries teasing him to lighten the mood, and it seems to work. Ryan visibly brightens and sits up a little straighter, clearly happy at the change of topic.

“I just wanted to show you what I’ve learned from you so far. Paying attention to a woman pays dividends.”

“Nicely done,” She compliments him, and he preens.

“Thank you. Don’t ever think I don’t appreciate my teacher,” He winks and Tessa suddenly feels awkward.

There’s something a little strange going on, but she can’t quite put her finger on it. It’s probably just the environment – creating an atmosphere that isn’t really there – and she just needs to refocus on work to get back in the groove.

“So,” She begins, flipping open her notebook to a blank page and clicking her pen, “How was your date with Hannah this week? She seemed like she might be a good fit. Let’s evaluate.”

It would be impossible for her to keep _Operation Raetlyn_ undercover if she didn’t pretend to do her job, so she’s been sending him on dates with various women in the hope that she can use his experiences to point out why Kaetlyn is superior, and so far it’s been going well. It steers Ryan in the direction she wants him to go, as well as warding off any suspicion that might come her way.

She is a pro at this for a reason.

Ryan laughs and waves his hand dismissively, gesturing for her to put her supplies away, “Let’s not worry about all that right now.”

“Ryan,” Tessa chastises gently, “We need to talk about it. If you were dissatisfied we need to figure out why.”

“Do you ever stop working?” Ryan places his hand over hers to try to take her pen away, but Tessa refuses to relinquish it – instead moving both her notebook and her pen to the safety of her lap.

"Not during work dinners, no.”

He seems to have forgotten why they’re there, which is incredibly annoying. She trudged through the snow and risked getting in a car accident just to be here at his request. The least he can do is take it seriously.

His shoulders tense up and he seems equally annoyed with her, which is categorically unfair given that it’s his fault he’s being a bit of a boor tonight, but he quickly smooths out his features and replaces the frown with his trademark smile, “Fine. Hannah was nice, but she’s too tall for me.”

"Too… tall?”

“Yes. She was five foot seven and I prefer women shorter than that.”

“Okay,” Tessa says slowly, jotting it down on the paper. He’s certainly very picky. Far pickier than any client she’s had before. But perhaps he just has a discerning eye. Although after over a month of this she is growing tired of his complaints.

This one’s too blonde, that one’s too big, this one’s too small, that one’s too short, too tall, too muscular, not muscular enough, crooked teeth, bad fashion, and on and on and on ad nauseam. It’s almost like he has this picture in his head of the exact woman he wants and no one else will do.

She just doesn’t understand why none of these women have been working out. Unless it’s because he’s already found the woman he wants and is just biding his time. Although if that’s the case, Tessa doesn’t get why he doesn’t just ask Kaetlyn out and put them all out of their misery. She hates wasting the time of perfectly nice women who are also looking for happiness, just like him.

“You know, Kaetlyn is about five foot three,” Tessa points out with a forced air of nonchalance, “Is that closer to what you’re looking for?”

“Something like that,” Ryan nods, and Tessa takes that as another encouraging sign.

“We haven’t talked about eye color, do you have a preference for that as well?” She might as well ask. Personally she thinks it’s a bit dumb to accept or reject someone based on something so arbitrary and out of their control, but Ryan probably doesn’t. He probably knows what specific iris to pupil ratio he wants.

“I like rare colors. Like some types of hazel or green,” He replies, and Tessa bites the inside of her cheek to keep from smirking. Of course he does. No plain Janes for him.  

“Really? Darker eyes can be pretty too. Kaetlyn has a very pretty shade of brown, for example, don’t you think?”

“They’re fine, I guess,” Ryan agrees, and she swears there’s something almost wistful about his expression. And was that a sigh?

 _Fine eyes_. _That’s literally something Jane Austen would say_. _Very romantic,_ Tessa thinks with a private little smile. She can’t wait to tell Kaetlyn on Monday about the compliment.

They go over the rest of the details of his date and compare notes to his past dates as well to help continue to compile what’s working and what isn’t, and before long the waitress is asking them whether or not they’d like dessert.

“Would you like to share a crème brulee?” Ryan asks hopefully, handing the small menu over to her, “I’ve heard they serve the best in town.”

“That’s very sweet of you, Ryan, but I only put two hours on my parking meter and it’s going to run out soon. I don’t want to get a ticket.”

That, and she really cannot stand to spend any more time with him tonight. She likes Ryan in small doses, but two hours straight of his company is rapidly draining her energy for socializing.

"Then I’ll just take the check, I guess,” Ryan says with a small pout, but Tessa ignores it and starts fishing out her wallet. He can complain all he wants, but she is going _home_.

“You can’t pay, this is a business dinner.”

“Please, I insist,” Ryan says, already taking his card back from the waitress and signing the receipt she prints out for him, “Besides, you can’t argue with me. Isn’t the customer always right?”

"I suppose,” She hedges, “But it still doesn’t seem right.” If she doesn’t show up with a receipt on Monday that Scott can write off as a business expense, it’s only going to fuel another round of teasing that this is a date, but it’s too late now. He’s already holding up her coat to help her put it on.

“Tessa, I wanted to buy you dinner so I bought you dinner. Let it go.”

“I'll try. Thank you.”        

They make it to the front of the restaurant without further conversation and Tessa’s about to make her escape when he takes her elbow and stops her, “So I’ll see you next week some time then?”

“Yes, I’ll have Kaetlyn call you and set up an appointment once I’ve found a few more eligible bachelorettes for you.”

Ryan smiles, his thumb stroking her arm and sending unpleasant prickles across her skin through her thick coat, “I look forward to her call.”

 _I bet you do,_ she thinks smugly.

It’s been an odd dinner, for sure, but not at all unsuccessful. Everything is still right on track.

 

 

Making it home without an accident is nothing short of a miracle given the state of the roads, and Tessa shuts her front door behind her and heads straight for her bedroom – kicking off her heels and swapping them out for her warmest, fuzziest socks in her drawer and trading her dress for sweatpants and a baggy t-shirt. She’s exhausted and starving, and as good as her bed looks right now, food seems more important. Food and good company that won’t be emotionally draining.

She and Scott had cancelled their longstanding Friday night movie tradition when Ryan had asked to meet her for dinner, but it’s only just after nine-thirty and Tessa figures he’s probably still awake. They can watch a few episodes of something to wind down, and Scott never turns down free food.

“Hey, T,” He answers cheerfully after only two rings, “What’s up? How was your date?”

"It wasn’t a date,” She reminds him, rolling her eyes for her own benefit, “I told you it was a business meeting.”

“At Garlic’s? On a Friday night? Sure it was,” He snarks, and Tessa bites the inside of her cheek. Maybe she _won’t_ invite him over after all. “Was the food as good as everyone says?”

Her stomach rumbles at the reminder of why she’d called in the first place, and Tessa decides to forgive him for his teasing in favor of a real dinner, “It was fine, but kind of weird and small portion sizes. Which is actually why I’m calling. I’m ordering take-out, want to come over?”

“Thaifoon?” He asks hopefully, and Tessa can tell from his voice that he’s perked up in his seat.

“Yep! And I’ll even _spring_ for extra rolls. Get it? Because they’re spring rolls?”

“You make that joke every time,” Scott chuckles, and Tessa grins. She makes it every time because he always laughs.

"And the street style beef?” He prods, and she giggles as she pours herself a healthy glass of her favorite white wine. Four years. Four years they’ve been ordering food from Thaifoon and he _always_ gets the street style beef pad thai. If they’re ever in some sort of hostage situation or robot takeover, she’ll know whether or not it’s really Scott based on his Thai food preferences.

“Don’t you want to try something new?”

“You ask me that question every time, too. I know what I like, Virtch,” Scott states simply, “See you in twenty.”

“Okay. Be careful though, the roads are slick.”

"Always am!”

 

Thirty minutes later the two of them are piled up on the couch surrounded by white cardboard boxes and enough food to feed a small army. He’s turned on an episode of Friends – something he can quote word for word and often does _out loud_ – and Tessa relaxes into the easy comfort of something so familiar.

This is exactly what she needs after a long work week and an unexpected business dinner. Her best friend, a good show, and heaps of delicious food. 

“So tell me about your _meeting_ with Ryan,” Scott says, spearing a large piece of meat with his chopstick, and Tessa groans and bumps her knee against his.  

“I don’t want to talk about it. We’re vegging right now and I’m happy.”

“You weren’t happy earlier?” He frowns, his eyes searching her face like he’s trying to find the cause of her distress written on it, “Was it bad? I thought you like working with Ryan.”

“I do. I just don’t get why he’s being so difficult. It’s obvious he likes her, so just put us all out of our misery,” She explains while piling more vegetables onto his plate. He’s always neglecting them in favor of too many spring rolls, and she has a vested interest in keeping him healthy. It’s not like _she’s_ going to take over the accounting if he gets scurvy (or is that caused by a lack of fruit? She can never remember, but better safe than sorry).  

“Likes who?” Scott asks with a frown, and she has to take a second to remember what they were talking about. Her brain simply doesn’t want to think about this anymore until Monday.

“Kaetlyn.”

Scott snorts so hard he starts choking on a piece of broccoli, and Tessa starts pounding on his back to try and help him out – frightened by the way his eyes are watering and his face has gone red.

“Are you okay!?”

“Yeah,” He finally manages to croak, “Sorry. I just thought you said you think Ryan likes Kaetlyn, but I must have heard you wrong.”

“That is what I said,” Tessa replies, her brow furrowing in confusion. Maybe a lack of vegetables makes people go deaf?

“No, it’s not.”

“Yes, it is. I think I know what words I spoke, Scott.” She rolls her eyes and turns back to the TV once it’s obvious he’s no longer in danger of dying from suffocation, but Scott continues to stare at her like she’d just told him she thinks Kaetlyn is an alien.

“No. Because you are not dumb.”

Her skin grows prickly and she can feel her blood beginning to boil. He knows the quickest way to make her angry is to question her intelligence, so he has to be doing this on purpose. Although why he’s trying to ruin a perfectly good evening, she can’t begin to understand. “Excuse me? I don’t think it’s dumb to acknowledge what’s right in front of me.”

“You can’t be serious.”  

“I absolutely am!”

"Tess, on what planet do Kaetlyn and Ryan work together?“ He gesticulates wildly and Tessa turns to fully face him, setting her plate down on the coffee table and propping one leg up on the couch. She’s going to need her full focus for this one, she can tell.

“On mine! You’ll see. I bet they’ll be in each other’s arms by Christmas.”

Scott snorts derisively, “That’s barely a month away.”

“I picture a proposal six to eight months later,” Tessa adds. She hasn’t spoken the thought out loud before now, but it’s true. That’s exactly where she’s pushing this relationship to go, and she knows she can get it there. Ryan clearly knows what he wants. He’s not going to sit around twiddling his thumbs once he’s made a commitment. 

“Whoa, whoa, whoa, Virtch. You have got to slow down here. You’re cruising down a highway nobody else is even on.”

“You don’t get it. You stay cooped up in your office every time Ryan is there. You don’t see what I see.”

"No, but I know what kind of a man he is outside of work. Don’t you remember I’ve actually spent time with him? He’s always boasting about the latest woman he’s been with – models and actresses and athletes.”

“So? Maybe he’s ready for someone a bit more down to earth now.”

“A guy like Ryan is never going to date a quiet, naïve, newly graduated assistant, no matter how cute she is,” Scott states point blank, and Tessa bristles.  

“People can change. And Kaetlyn is great! She’s smart and kind and funny and sweet - any man would be lucky to have her.”

“I agree,” He states, and she almost relaxes before he adds, “But that man isn’t Ryan Semple.”

“Whatever,” She whips back around to face the screen again, folding her arms over her chest and scooting away so that there isn’t a single part of their bodies touching anymore, “Clearly we disagree so there’s no point in talking about it anymore. Let’s just watch TV. Look, Rachel and Chandler are fighting over the cheesecake. You love this episode.”

“Tess,” Scott sighs, and she can see him running his hand through his hair and messing it up even more than it was before.  

She knows that voice. It’s the same voice he always used after they argued over dance music and she had turned into an “ice queen” – her tried and true method of freezing him out until she gets her way. Or at least, until he apologizes for saying something idiotic, which he usually does pretty quickly. Neither of them like being on the outs with each other.  

“Come on kiddo,” He tries again, nudging her with his elbow, “Don’t be mad.”

“I’m not mad.”

“Yes you are. You’ve got that little wrinkle right between your eyes,” He pushes the spot with his thumb and Tessa flinches and bats his hand away. How dare he try to be cute when she’s upset with him.

“I don’t get a wrinkle when I’m angry.”

“Yes you do,” He smiles, sensing her will already weakening, “And you go all quiet and your eyes get all intense. And while normally I’m a big fan of your green eyes – have I told you recently how gorgeous they are? – I don’t really like it when their fury is directed at me.”

Damn him. Damn him and his ability to make her anger dissipate, even when she’s trying so desperately to hold onto it. He really is wrong about Ryan and Kaetlyn, and she needs to prove it to him.

“I’m not mad at you. Watch the show. Look, Joey just pulled out a fork from his pocket and joined them eating the cheesecake off the ground. Isn’t that hilarious?”

“Tes-sa,” Scott drawls out a whine, and she glances over at him. Which proves to be a mistake because he’s putting on quite a good show. It might be his best pout yet, and if there’s anything she can’t resist, it’s that big-eyed Moir pout.

Letting out a long, deep sigh, she turns to face him, “I’m not mad at you, I promise. And thank you, you have pretty eyes, too.”

He grins at both the concession and the compliment and pulls her in for a side hug, refusing to let go when she tries to right herself and basically forcing her to stay tucked into his side. Tessa just shakes her head with a mixture of fondness and exasperation and allows him to pull her in even closer.

He’s ridiculous and sometimes infuriating and definitely one hundred percent wrong about this whole situation, but, well, he’s also comforting and he smells nice and she really is quite tired. She can prove him wrong tomorrow.

It’s getting late and her belly is pleasantly full and the sounds of the occasional laugh-track provides a nice background noise as she relaxes further into Scott. She can feel herself drifting off, eyelids drooping until finally they become too heavy to prop up and she succumbs to the sweet, insistent lure of sleep.

 

 

Cozy. She’s cozy and warm and safe and she definitely does not want to be waking up right now, so she snuggles closer to the firm body behind her and squeezes her eyes shut tight, trying to force herself back into the pleasant dream she’d been having about a world made of chocolate.

It doesn’t work.

Now that she’s awake she’s starting to notice things, and the more she notices the more awake she becomes. Like the fact that somehow they’d shifted on the couch to lay horizontally, with Scott spooning her from behind, and that he’d pulled a blanket over them at some point. There’s an ache in her neck from lying on his bicep and the glow of the Blu-Ray logo is casting a blue light over her living room. Her shirt had ridden up during the night and Scott’s hand is warm where it’s resting low on her stomach, his pinky landing in the dip of her bellybutton, and is that…?

Tessa pushes her hips back slightly and Scott reacts by pressing closer to her in return, the tiniest of groans escaping his lips and landing in the hair at the nape of her neck.

She was right. He’s definitely got an erection.

It’s not the first time she’s felt him hard against her. Years of sensual dances, close practices, the occasional wrestling matches, and just general proximity at movie nights similar to this means she’s noticed it a few times. But she’s come to think of it as a purely biological, natural thing that he just can’t help. Mostly because she’d been told as much by a very red-faced Suzanne when she was thirteen and it happened the first time during their first tango practice. “It’s not because of you specifically, Tessa,” Their coach had explained, “It’s just because he’s a boy. You have to ignore it.”

And Tessa has ignored it, mostly, but that doesn’t mean she’s not _curious_. Purely from an objective standpoint. You aren’t best friends with someone for nineteen years without wondering sometimes what they’ve got going on down there.

She wonders what it looks like. Scott seems like the kind of guy who’s proud of what he’s got, or at least confident that it’s not lacking, and he _feels_ like a pretty decent length and girth pressed against her ass at the moment. He’s probably veiny, too, like his arms and hands.

She almost asked him once when she was seventeen if he’d let her see it, purely for scientific reasons of course, but she’d chickened out when she’d accidentally walked in on him in the dressing room in his boxers, and she never found the nerve to try again.

He’d probably say yes if she asked now, right? Just so that she could satisfy her curiosity and stop _wondering_ after all these years. But there’s also a strong chance he’d think she was certifiably crazy and crossing some serious boundaries and storm out of her house in a huff, never to be seen again. She highly doubts that he has the same curiosity about her body as she does about his.

_I wonder how he likes his blowjobs?_

And… and what is she doing!? She’s lying there thinking about her best friend’s dick- no - _private area._ That’s so beyond inappropriate and Scott would have every right to be furious with her for mentally violating his privacy like this.

Tessa untangles herself as fast as she can without waking him, fixing the blanket so that he’s still comfortable (and if she stops to brush some of his hair away from his forehead, too, well no one needs to know), before switching off the TV and heading towards the safety of her bedroom.

It’s been a while since she’s had sex, that’s all. This dry spell is making her a little crazy and putting thoughts in her head that normally wouldn’t be there. A little self-love in the bathtub tomorrow – with candles and the proper music and her favorite vibrator – should set her right again.

She is _not_ going to think about Scott and his assets, whatever they may be, anymore.

She is a professional business woman and she has much more important work to do.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I did a speed-read of this, so any mistakes will have to be fixed later. Sorry!
> 
> Also, I hope you're all reading "Redemption Has Stories to Tell" by iwantthemtostay and only_because3. It's brilliant. :D


	5. Chapter Five

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A Christmas party gone wrong. A Christmas Eve mea culpa.

** love is christmas (or maybe not) **

 

The night is alive with stars, the crisp bite to the air seems more like a friendly nibble than a vicious snap, and the city is alight with twinkle lights of every hue. It’s Christmastime, Tessa’s favorite holiday of the year, and tonight is the greatly anticipated Virtuous Lifestyle Group’s company party.

Kate Virtue, CEO and visionary, always hosts the best parties and tonight she seems to have outdone herself once again. The room she’d rented on the top floor of one of the city’s tallest skyscrapers has sweeping views over the city and the interior is awash with elegant decorations in shades of red, green, and white.

In the corner there’s a beautiful brunette singing _Love Is Christmas_ accompanied by a small orchestra, and it makes Tessa feel both warm and a little sentimental. She scans the room, finding many familiar faces and a few new ones, before landing on Scott having a conversation with the VP of marketing – an old man whose name is actually, honestly Mr. Bones (Tessa has to resist singing, _how do you feel Mister Bones – Mister Bones feels rattlin’,_ every time she sees him).

She gives them both a little wave and Scott wraps up his conversation and jogs over to her with a grin.

“Hey, T,” He greets her with a hug. His cheeks are slightly flushed, a sure sign that he’s already had a drink or two, and Tessa cocks her head and smiles.

“Hey, you. Enjoying yourself?”

“Now that you’re here,” He winks, snatching a glass of champagne off the tray of a passing waiter and handing it to her, “Where’s your date?”

“Kaetlyn’s sick,” Tessa explains with a small frown, “Some sort of nasty flu virus.”

"Is she okay? Has she seen a doctor?”

“Yes, and she has medication to help. I took her some soup earlier.”

“That was nice of you. It’s too bad she can’t make it tonight. I know she was looking forward to it.”

“I know,” Tessa sighs, “I was, too.” Although, not for the reason Scott thinks. Tessa had been hoping tonight would be the final push that Ryan and Kaetlyn needed to get together. What could be more romantic than getting caught under the mistletoe on a wintery night in a pretty venue with someone serenading in the background? Now neither of them will be here and her plans will have to be delayed.

_Oh well, there’s always a New Year’s Eve kiss,_  she thinks with another sigh, _although that might be harder to orchestrate._

“Did you bring a date?” She asks curiously, noticing the lack of female presence around him, and Scott shrugs.  

“Nope. Flying solo tonight.”

Good. She likes when they’re both alone at these events. It means they can gossip together to their hearts content all night. Making up stories about the other guests has always been one of their favorite games to play at fancy parties to stave off boredom, and she anticipates tonight will be no different now that she knows neither of them will have anyone there to distract them.

“Well, I can’t say I’m surprised. You couldn’t even bother to wear a suit,” She eyes him critically up and down, but her tone is teasing. He looks good in his simple sage green button-down and black slacks, and judging by the way he rolls his eyes at her he knows she isn’t serious.

"We can’t all have a designer wardrobe, Virtch. If we did then how would you stand out?”

“I don’t know… last year you and the entire I.T. department stood out just fine when you decided to belt Bohemian Rhapsody at the top of your lungs halfway through the night.”

Scott purses his lips together and glares, “We agreed never to mention that.”

“No, you agreed. _I_ , however, have the entire thing on video.”

She waves her phone around, taunting him, and Scott lunges for it. One of his arms wraps around her waist to keep her from running away as the other attempts to snatch it from her fingers and they nearly go tumbling into the floral pillar behind them.

“Tessa?” A male voice that’s all too familiar interrupts, and Tessa rights herself as quickly as possible – slipping her phone back into her clutch to prevent Scott from stealing it while she’s distracted.

“Ryan, you’re here,” She says in surprise. She knew he’d been invited by Kaetlyn (of course she knew, she’d helped draft the invitation), but she hadn’t expected him to still come now that Kaetlyn can’t.

"I was invited,” He reminds her with an easy smile, nodding hello at someone in passing and waving at a few people across the room. He must do a lot of networking around the city, to know so many people in her mother’s company, which is slightly unnerving. He seems to be everywhere lately. 

Scott greets him with a terse nod and then happily lets himself be drawn away by someone on the magazine staff, leaving her to fend for herself.

(Really, she knows he doesn’t like Ryan, but does he have to _abandon_ her?)

“Of course you were,” Tessa laughs awkwardly and takes a large sip of her champagne for something to do and to avoid having to say anything else. It seems awfully presumptuous of him to come to a work party for a company he isn’t part of without his date.

“I see you remembered my favorite color is red,” Ryan traces the strap on her shoulder with the tips of his fingers, his index finger slipping slightly underneath the fabric, and Tessa stiffens. She definitely didn’t remember that, and if she had it would have had no bearing on her outfit choice tonight.

“Um… red is a Christmas color.”  

Ryan smirks like he thinks she’s just being coy, and his fingers trail a little lower than she feels entirely comfortable with before dropping back down to his side, “It looks good on you.”

Somehow the compliment doesn’t feel genuine or kind so much as lewd. His eyes keep dropping to her cleavage and where earlier the cut of the dress had made her feel sexy and confident, now with his eyes raking over her it feels sleazy.

“Do you know where else it would look good?” He cannot seriously be about to say what she thinks he is, “On my –“

“Virtch, come dance with me,” Scott swoops in out of nowhere, snatching her hand and dragging her away from Ryan with barely a glance in the other man’s direction, and even though it’s only been a few minutes Tessa’s never been happier to see him in her life.

“You’re a saint. An angel. My hero. I owe you my life. You can have my firstborn child,” Tessa rambles effusively while Scott takes her empty glass and sets it down on a nearby table before leading her in a waltz amongst the other dancers.

“Keep going, I’m liking this list so far,” Scott grins, his arms tightening around her and pulling her flush against him when another couple spins too close, “What else?”

“Anything you want,” Tessa laughs, “I owe you all the praise in the world for saving me just now. Ryan was being weird.”

“Ryan’s always weird,” Scott makes a face and Tessa laughs harder.

"You’re just biased because he wore a three-piece suit tonight.”

Scott rolls his eyes and dips her without warning, grinning when she squeaks in surprise.

“I don’t need a fancy suit to impress you.”

They waltz around the dance floor, spinning and twirling and showing off their rusty skills a little more than they normally would. It’s been a while, but dancing with Scott is as natural to her as breathing and Tessa falls into it freely.

After a few songs the music slows into something meant more for swaying, and Tessa lets Scott pull her close again while they move lazily from side to side – tucking her head into the crook of his neck and breathing in the familiar scent of his aftershave. Scott’s hand is warm and heavy against her back, his thumb tracing the curve of her spine, and she likes the weight of it there. It’s been too long since they’ve danced like this. She didn’t realize how much she missed it.

“This is nice,” She murmurs, and Scott makes a happy humming noise in the back of his throat. “We should do this more often.”

“Thirteen years of competition wasn’t enough for you, kiddo?” Scott’s teasing, but she can hear the smile in his voice, too. He’d loved the rush of competition as much as she had, maybe more, and they’d probably still be out there if it wasn’t for her shins.

It’s a shame really, because he’d been a prodigy on the dance floor and deserved to win more awards than he did. Tessa had tried to convince him to find a new partner when it became obvious that she couldn’t continue at such a rigorous level, but he’d sworn repeatedly that if he couldn’t dance with her, he wouldn’t dance at all, and that was that.

"It’s nice doing this and not being judged for it.”

“Well then don’t look now, because there’s an older couple across the room watching us and I definitely think they’re judging.”

“What?” She tries to lift her head, but Scott laughs and moves his chin to keep her in place, spinning them away from wherever that couple must be standing.

“Don't let them know we're onto them. I think they were giving us a good score, don’t worry. Maybe they’re secret Russian judges, here to see if we’re still a threat to their dancers.”

_Ah,_ Tessa realizes with a smile, _their game_.

“Maybe they’re spies sent here because Mr. Bones is a secret agent who defected and holds crucial information that they need.”

“Yes. Mr. Bones is an excellent name for a character in a spy movie,” Scott agrees.

They’re whispering conspiratorially now, and she feels a little thrill shoot up her spine at even the idea of intrigue. As if London, Ontario would ever be the center of an international crime drama.  

“He has the codes for the nuclear weapons,” She suggests, lifting her head up to look around and find the couple in question. They _do_ look kind of like a Soviet cliché, dressed in all black and wearing grim faces, and Mr. Bones is looking at them rather oddly (or so she can imagine).  

“No, for a _neo-_ nuclear weapon,” Scott amends, and Tessa tilts her head back to look at him.

“What does that even mean?”

“I don’t know,” He shrugs, huffing out a little laugh, “It just sounded cool.”

“You’re right. Neo-nuclear weapons sound like a much better threat,” She giggles and lays her head back down again.

They go back to swaying and she relaxes further into him, relying on him to keep time to the music and content to stay right there for the rest of the night. Other than that weird interlude with Ryan, this really has been a perfect evening.

“I like you so much, T,” He says suddenly, his lips move against her forehead as he speaks, his voice has dropping nearly to a whisper, and the words come out a little slurred together. Clearly the champagne is catching up to him, and Tessa laughs. He’s always so affectionate when he drinks.

“I like you, too.”

“No –“

“Tessa, there you are,” Kate interrupts whatever he was about to say and she and Scott step away from each other to face her mother, “I need you to – have you been drinking?”

Tessa’s hands fly up to her cheeks. They do feel warm, but she hasn’t had _that_ much. There’s no reason to be scolded. “Only two glasses.”

“Oh,” Kate pauses, looking back and forth between her and Scott suspiciously before shaking her head a little and dismissing whatever she’d been thinking, “You just seem flushed. I need you to come help me prepare the employee gifts so people can pick them up when they’re ready to leave.”

“Of course, Mom.”

“Scott, try not to serenade us with any Queen this year,” Kate teases him with a warm smile and twinkling eyes, and Scott smiles bashfully and ducks his head.

“I’ll try.”

Tessa follows her mother away towards the spare room where the gifts are being kept, pausing around the corner to wave back at Scott and catching him watching her with the most curious expression on his face.

_Huh. I’ll have to ask him about that later_.     

 

 

Later turns out to be nearly an hour by the time they’re done setting everything up, and Tessa sets the last box out on the table with every intention of heading straight for the main room again and finding some food.  

She’s starving and ready for another drink and a little eager to find Scott and see if they can take advantage of the opportunity and dance some more.

Caught up in her thoughts as she walks down the hallway, she almost doesn’t see Ryan before it’s too late. He’s heading directly towards her, and since the only things this direction are the restrooms and the exit, Tessa realizes with an increasing sense of foreboding that he must be coming to find her.

Even so, she smiles politely and tries to slip past him without speaking – praying that he _is_ going somewhere else and will leave her alone. Unfortunately, he steps in front of her instead of towards the men’s room – cutting off her escape.

“Can I help you with something, Mr. Semple?” She hopes that if she acts as professional as possible, he’ll take the hint and not try to use anymore cheesy, inappropriate pick-up lines on her. His behavior tonight has been slightly discomfiting, and her confidence in his rightness for Kaetlyn is starting to shake. But perhaps he’s had something to drink and his tongue is looser than it should be. He’s never been anything but chivalrous up to this point. Although it is odd that he didn’t ask after her health at all earlier. She had expected someone in love to feel more concerned about the object of his affections.   

“Mr. Semple? I kind of like that,” He grins lasciviously and Tessa takes a step backward. Gone is the considerate gentleman she’d come to know, replaced instead by this smirking, concupiscent man before her. Whether he’s drunk or not this his highly inappropriate. “I’ve been looking for a way to get a moment alone with you all night. Tessa, you must know by now that I’m falling in love with you.”

"What!?” Her eyebrows rocket to her hairline as her jaw falls to the floor. She must look ridiculous, staring at him all agog like she is, but she can’t help it. It’s like he’s pulled the rug out from under her and expected her to be impressed, instead of fall on her metaphorical ass like she just has.

“Don’t pretend to be surprised. You put on a good front – teasing and taunting me as you have – but I know you feel the same. Let’s put an end to this pretense and make it official.”

His lips descend on hers and she doesn’t have a chance to push him away before he’s kissing her. All force and too much teeth. She’d once thought his lips looked soft, but they’re the opposite of that now as he tries to coax a positive response from her in the dimly lit hallway.

Tessa shoves his chest as hard as she can, stepping backwards at the same time, and manages to push him off of herself, “What are you doing?”

“There’s no one here but us, Tessa,” Ryan replies, annoyance coloring his tone and altering his smile from one of pleasure to exasperation, “You don’t have to preserve your modesty.”

“I’m not –“ Tessa starts, spluttering as she tries to find the right thing to say, “It’s not about modesty, Ryan. You’re my client and I don’t like you like that.”

“Oh give it a rest with this whole client charade. I hired you because I wanted to get to know you. I never cared about dating anyone else, I’ve been after you since the beginning. Sending you gifts, taking you to dinner, visiting your office as frequently as possible. And you have been very encouraging with your smiles and flirty touches and coy looks. How could you not know how I felt?”

What is he talking about? She’s never touched him like that. Okay, maybe a pat on the arm here or there. But it had honestly only ever been friendly on her part. And the gifts!

“The gifts were for Kaetlyn.”

“Kaetlyn?” He snorts, an ugly, contemptable sound, “Your mousy assistant? Why would I ever send gifts to her?”

“Excuse me?” She can’t think of anything else to say. How could he – why – it just doesn’t make any sense. He’s been coming into their office every week for over two full months and he’s never been anything but attentive to Kaetlyn. Flirtatious, even.

"Don’t be stupid. She’s sweet, I guess, sure, but I’ve never once thought of her past how she could get me closer to you. I was trying to be friendly with your friends, obviously. She was a means to an end.”

_A means to an end._ How could he be so callous? And does he honestly think that insulting her friend is the way to win her over?

“I can’t believe this,” Tessa whispers, mostly to herself, staring at the swirls in the carpet and wondering where on earth she went so wrong.

“Is it so hard to believe that I would want to be with someone who’s beautiful, smart, entrepreneurial, confident, and actually qualified to be with me?”

He’s definitely angry now and, towering over her like he is, Tessa feels intimidated. She’s never had a client try to date her, certainly never had one raise his voice or try to force her into doing something against her will, and it’s equally infuriating and terrifying all at once. Not only could he overpower her physically, but he could destroy her reputation as a business owner if he made official complaints and spread nasty rumors around about her services. She has to handle this with care.

Even if what she really wants is to slap his face and stomp her heel down on his toes and  tell him to never darken the entryway of her office again.

“I’m very sorry that you got the wrong impression, Ryan,” She starts slowly, looking him firmly in the eye, “And I’m flattered by your compliments, but I’m just not into you like that.”

“Wow. You’re seriously not going to date me. After all this?”

“I’m seriously not, and I think it would probably be best if you found another lifestyle coach.”

"Yeah, no shit,” He huffs, his hands balling into fists at his side.

The mental image of an angry bull with steam coming out of its ears and nose pops into Tessa’s head, and she has to bite her bottom lip to keep from giggling. It’s really not funny. The opposite of funny, in fact. But the resemblance is uncanny.

"I wish you all the best, and I hope you find someone who’s a bitter fit for you than I am.”

“Don’t worry, you’re not that special. It’ll be easy.” He spins around on his heel and walks away, and Tessa sags against the wall in relief. The sting of his last comment fading with each step he takes away from her.

“Goodbye, Ryan,” She mutters to herself, “And good riddance.”

 

           

Her mother finds her there nearly twenty minutes later, having been unable to move in the wake of her world flipping upside-down into bizarroland tonight. Any traces of hunger are long gone, replaced by nausea and an overwhelming desire to be at home in her bed.

“Here you are, Tess,” Kate walks towards her down the hallway looking as regal as ever and takes a seat next to her on the bench.

Her smile fades into a frown once she’s close enough to take in Tessa’s dejected appearance, and she immediately reaches out and takes her daughter’s hand, “What’s wrong?”

“I’m not feeling very well,” Tessa croaks, all of the emotions catching up with her at once and threatening to make her sob at this very fancy work party – aka the last place she wants to be seen having a meltdown, “I think I’m going to head home early.”

“Are you sure? Do you need Scott to drive you?”

“No!” She practically shouts, and Kate cringes. Tessa forces her voice into something much softer before continuing, “I can manage. I’ll see you at Christmas Eve dinner, okay?”

She can’t face Scott right now. He’d been right about Ryan all along, and the last thing she needs is an _I told you so_.

“Alright, honey. Try to feel better and call me if you need anything.”

Tessa smiles wanly and gives her a hug, but makes no promises.

How on earth is she supposed to feel better after such a monumental mistake?

 

****

 

Hiding. Apparently that’s the answer to life’s problems. Normally Tessa would be out there trying to fix whatever went wrong, planning and setting goals, and not backing down in the face of a setback. But this time, something’s different.

Maybe it’s the fact that her mistakes have never hit quite so close to home before.

So, naturally, in the week since the party she’s been hiding. Mostly in her office – saying nothing more than a quick hello to Kaetlyn and Scott before disappearing behind a closed door for eight hours and then a quick goodbye as she heads home. It doesn't make her feel better, but it doesn't make her feel _worse_ , so she's counting it as a win. 

Thankfully the office is closed for Christmas break now and she doesn’t have to see her assistant for a few days – which should hopefully be enough time to come up with the right words to tell her that Mr. Semple is actually a piece of shit and never deserved her affections.

It’s a little harder to hide from Scott though, especially today.

It’s Christmas Eve and the Virtues and Moirs traditionally spend the day together now that Charlie and Jordan are married. It keeps them from having to choose which family to spend the holiday with, and since everyone genuinely likes each other a lot and Kate and Alma have become best friends over the years, it works out well.

Well, that is until this year when Tessa could really use some space.

At dinner she’d avoided her usual spot beside Scott in favor of sitting beside Danny’s wife Tessa – using the excuse that since they’d moved to Alberta she hardly gets to talk to them. And as soon as the dishes were cleared she’d snatched up Jordan’s new baby Emmaline and retreated to the living room, hoping that Scott’s other nephews and nieces would keep him distracted.

He’s sure to know something's up with her, and the longer she can avoid talking to him about it, the better.

“Here you are,” Scott appears in the doorway, leaning against the wall with an affected air of casualness that she doesn’t believe for a second.

_Crap._ So much for her plan. She can hear the familiar opening drumbeats of Moana in the other room, which must be the reason her plan to have the kids keep him busy has failed. _F_ _oiled by the irresistible draw of an excellent Disney movie._  

“Here I am,” Tessa shrugs with one shoulder, keeping her eyes fixed on Emmy to avoid having to look at Scott, hoping he’ll take the hint. But of course he doesn’t – instead plopping down on the couch beside her and leaning forward to stroke Emmy’s cheek before taking the baby’s hand.

Her tiny fingers wrap instinctively around Scott’s big one, and Tessa smiles in spite of herself at the tender image it presents. She normally isn’t much for babies, but Scott loves them, and something about the way he is with them always makes her feel fuzzy inside.  

“You look nice today, T,” He says quietly, glancing up at her before looking back at Emmy, “I like your dress.”

That’s not at all what she expected him to say. She’d been anticipating an interrogation, not a compliment. “You do?”

“Mmhmm, it’s soft,” He proves his point by running his hand up and down the burgundy velvet sleeve on her arm, but Tessa flinches. It doesn’t feel right to receive praise from him. Not when she’d been such a complete fool.

Scott notices immediately and leans backwards, putting distance between them, “What’s wrong, Tess? You’ve been so reclusive this last week, I’ve hardly seen you.”

“I’ve been at work,” Tessa reminds him, feeling defensive. She might be depressed and defeated, but that hasn’t stopped her from getting her work done. She’s not a complete failure yet.

“I know, with your office door closed. Kaetlyn and I are worried about you.”

“You’ve talked to Kaetlyn about me?”

“Yes. She said you didn’t seem quite like yourself and I agree. So what gives, kiddo? Are you mad at me?”

“At you?” Tessa looks up in surprise to find Scott staring at her, his forehead creased and his light brown eyes full of concern, and her heart constricts at the thought that he might have been thinking she’s been angry at _him_ this whole time, and not herself. “I’m not angry at you.”

The tension in his shoulders visibly releases and he sighs in relief, “Then what is it?”  

“Ryan…” She swallows thickly, her throat suddenly dry, and tries again, “Ryan kissed me at the party.”

Scott goes tense again beside her, but this time with anger instead of hurt, his jaw clenching and unclenching a few times before he finally speaks, “Ryan Semple? Our client, Ryan?”

“Yes. What other Ryan do we know?”

“I just want to make sure I don’t punch the wrong guy,” Scott jokes. Or at least, she thinks he’s joking, but she can’t be sure. He looks a little too serious to be entirely kidding and she wouldn’t necessarily put it past him to actually do it.

“Scott, you can’t! He could press charges or make accusations against the company or -“ She starts rambling, building up to a full-blown freak out, but Scott covers her mouth with his hand and stops her.

“I want to, but I won’t. I know technically you work for him, but that doesn’t give him the right to assault you! We could press charges right back if he even tried.”

Scott’s hand drops to her shoulder, his thumb rubbing soothing circles just above her clavicle, and she leans into the comfort of his touch for support.

“I wouldn’t go that far. It was just a kiss, however unwelcome.”

“Tess, I’ve known you a long time, I’ve seen you like this before. Hiding and withdrawn and pale. I remember how it was after Seth McColl tried to grope you in grade ten.”

“You actually _did_ punch him,” Tessa remembers with a small smile.

“Fuck yes, I did,” Scott says proudly, “And I’ll punch Ryan, too, if you want. Inevitable lawsuit be damned.”

“You’re sweet, but no. It wasn’t the kiss that upset me, as unpleasant as it was, it’s the fact that I should have seen it coming. I’ve been so blind. You told me I was being dumb about this just last month, but I refused to see it.”

“Since when do you listen to me?” He teases, coaxing a small smile from her, “I was wrong. You weren’t being dumb, you just wanted to make Kaetlyn happy. This isn’t your fault, Tess. You just… always see the best in people, even when it isn’t there.”

“So I’m naïve _and_ blind. Great,” She rolls her eyes, but Scott shakes his head.

“That’s not what I mean at all. Now come on, you might have been wrong, but at least you were trying to do something right. The good intentions were there.”

“But I should have noticed the signs,” She insists, unwilling to let him make her feel better, “It’s supposed to be my job. And if I can mess up something like this, how can I trust myself to do it right in the future?”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean I’m going to give up matchmaking,” She announces impulsively.

“What?” Scott’s eyes go wide, and she can tell he doesn’t believe her. “Forever?”

“I don’t know about forever,” Tessa concedes, it is a big part of her business, after all, “But at least for right now. I need to take some time to adjust and regroup after this. My perfect record is shattered and now a dear friend is going to have her heart broken. I think I need to take a step back and reevaluate. We have plenty of other work to keep the business going without this part of it.”

“I know we do. I’m not worried about that. I’m just worried about you – are you going to be okay?”

“I will be,” She nods, reaching out with her free hand and placing it on his knee with a squeeze, “Thank you for being such a good friend and checking up on me.”

“Of course, T," He says, mouth curving upwards into a small smile, "Anything for my best friend.”  

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "how do you feel Mister Bones – Mister Bones feels rattlin'" is a reference to the minstrel show scene in the movie White Christmas


	6. Chapter Six

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tessa finds a way out of her funk. A surprise visitor. And lunch with an old friend.

** give up the funk **

****

A new year means new beginnings and brand new opportunities. That’s what Tessa has been telling herself every morning and periodically throughout the day ever since the clock struck midnight at Jordan’s New Year’s Eve party, and she’ll keep repeating it until she genuinely believes it’s true.

So what if she had a minor – okay, major – setback. She is Tessa Virtue: lifestyle guru, and one failed client does not make her a failure.

(That was Scott’s contribution to her morning mantra, and she’s trying to believe it as well.)

The problem is, mantras are all well and good but they don’t exactly help you have difficult conversations, and now that the holidays are over and Tessa is back at work, she needs to have the conversation she’s been dreading ever since Ryan dropped his metaphorical atom bomb at the company party.

She has to talk to Kaetlyn.

Tessa’s been trying to figure out what to say to her non-stop. She’s written script after script, each one worse than the last. Made notecards. Googled how to break bad news to a friend. But she still has to actually get the job done, and rehearsing the conversation in her head with an endless litany of _I'm sorry_ 's is only putting off the inevitable. If only she could just send her a card.

_"Dear Kaetlyn, It turns out that Ryan actually had feelings for me all along. Oops! Sorry about the misunderstanding. Here’s a gift card to the London Ice Cream Company and a gift card to Body Benefits Day Spa. Please don’t hate me. Sincerely, Tessa.”_

Somehow she doesn’t think that would go over very well, even with Kaetlyn – the sweetest soul on the planet.

So, now that it’s Monday and they’re back at work, Tessa has to come clean about why their big client won’t be coming into the office anymore, and it can’t wait any longer.

“Kaetlyn,” Tessa walks down the hallway from her office and into the foyer, trying to smile as reassuringly as she can, “Can I talk to you for a minute?”

“Of course, Tessa,” Kaetlyn answers immediately, standing up from her desk. She’s always so ready and willing to hop into action and follow Tessa’s lead, and Tessa can’t but help feel even more guilty about what she has to tell her. None of this would be happening if Tessa hadn’t encouraged her to have feelings for that odious man, after all.

“Let’s go into the break room,” Tessa suggests. It’s a little more casual in there and they can sit and chat more as friends than employer/employee like they would be if they were in her office.

“Is something wrong?”

“Yes, actually,” Tessa begins once they’ve sat down on the couch along the back wall, “I have something I need to tell you, but I’m not quite sure how.”

“Am I being let go?” Kaetlyn asks with a tremulous little frown, immediately jumping to the worst conclusion, and Tessa quickly reaches out and places a hand on her knee.

“Of course not! No. You do amazing work here and I value your ideas and help, and your friendship.”

“Oh good," Kaetlyn's shoulders sag with relief as she lets out a puff of air, "I’m glad to hear that.”

“But it’s because I value your friendship that I have to tell you... Two weeks ago at the company party… Ryan showed up and he made a pass at me,” Tessa pauses to take in a deep breath, “Well he actually told me he had feelings for me, not you like we had all thought.”

Kaetlyn goes quiet and picks at her fingernails, working her bottom lip between her teeth until Tessa's sure it must be raw. There are tears welling up in the young woman's brown eyes, but she blinks rapidly to force them away. 

“I’m so sorry, Kaetlyn. I had no idea he felt that way. I genuinely thought everything he did was for you, otherwise I never would have tried to steer you in his direction. It’s all a horrific misunderstanding and I take full blame for it.”

“It’s not your fault, Tessa. You were being nice. I – it’s fine. I’ll be okay.”

“You don’t have to forgive me if you don’t want to. Really – get angry. I deserve it.”

In fact, Tessa would prefer it. Get angry and lash out at her and give her the stern reprimand that she deserves. But she knows that's not Kaetlyn's way. 

“No, I’m not angry. You didn’t know and his actions… we both believed that he was directing his affections towards me. I mean, sure it never would have occurred to me if you hadn’t suggested it, but once you did I thought I saw all the signs, too. It’s my fault for believing someone like him would be interested in someone like me.”

“No,” Tessa snaps, reaching out again and taking both of Kaetlyn’s hands in hers, “Don’t you think that for even a second. You are worth ten Ryan Semples and he does not deserve you. If he can’t see what a great woman you are, then that’s his loss.”

“You’re too nice, Tessa.”

“I’m just being honest," Tessa continues with as much conviction as she can muster, "You’re wonderful, and I am so, so sorry for the hurt I’ve caused.”

“I’ll be alright. Although, I guess I should stop wearing this,” Kaetlyn unclasps the jewelry around her wrist, a pretty sparkle ball bracelet from Hillberg & Berk that Ryan had sent over. They’d assumed it was for her because why would he send a gift for Tessa from the company Tessa collaborates with and can get jewelry from for free? But now, knowing what she does, perhaps it was his way of trying to subtly show his support for her other business endeavors.

“You know what we need?” Tessa says impulsively, trying to come up with a way to distract her suffering friend, “We need a new project. Something to take our minds off of this whole thing.”

“I actually have an idea for that,” Scott announces, waltzing into the break room with his hands in his pockets and a too-innocent whistle on his lips, and Tessa’s eyes narrow in suspicion.

“Were you eavesdropping?”

“Were you talking loudly in the _communal_ break room?” He shoots back, and she purses her lips and shakes her head at him as he smirks.  _Ridiculous._

“What’s your idea?” Kaetlyn asks him with a hopeful smile, and Tessa figures she can indulge him if it makes Kaetlyn happy.

“I had lunch with our old coach Suzanne last Saturday – we try to meet up once a month and Tessa was _supposed_ to be there too – and she mentioned the school she works for, Highbury Public School, is struggling for funding. The board is threatening to slash all of their arts programs, including Suzanne’s dance classes, if they can’t find a new source of income. So I was thinking we could throw a –“

“Fundraiser!” Tessa finishes the thought for him, clasping her hands together and feeling a wonderful buzz of excitement shoot through her body. “Scott, you’re a genius! We can invite all of my mother’s friends and anyone else affluent in the London area. Kaetlyn, start making a list of all of our biggest business connections.”

“I knew you’d jump at this,” Scott grins and Tessa smiles back.

“This is perfect. Exactly the thing to pull us out of our funk. No more moping or sadness, or moping about sadness. It’s a new direction. Let’s get to work right away! Kaetlyn,” Tessa gestures wildly in the direction of her office, “Grab some notebooks and pens. I’ll get my iPad. We need a theme and a venue and a date and why are you looking at me like that?”

Scott had taken Kaetlyn’s place on the couch beside her while her assistant had run off to gather Tessa's things, and he’s got this funny little smile on his face. A cross between pride and humor and something like affection. For some reason it makes her cheeks heat up, and she’s not sure why.

“It’s just nice to see some life back in you. I like when you get all fired up about something,” Scott says, trying to seem nonchalant but unable to stop his smile from growing, “You care enough to get involved – to help people. You’re good at this.”

Tessa can feel her blush rapidly growing worse, spreading down her neck and underneath her collar, and she’s certain her cheeks must be a terrible shade of red. Teasing she can handle, the occasional compliments on her physical appearance – fine, but outright praise of her talents? It makes her feel almost shy around him, even after all these years, “I don’t know what to say.”

“You don’t have to say anything, kiddo, it’s just the truth,” Scott reaches out and tucks a loose strand of hair behind her ear, and Tessa's heartbeat stutters nonsensically. 

His hand falls back into his lap just as Kaetlyn reenters the room, and he turns towards her with a big smile, “Let’s get to work! No time like the present, eh?”

Tessa shakes herself out of a stupor and opens one of the notebooks, “Okay, team, let’s talk fundraising. I’ll schedule a lunch meeting with Suzanne to talk all this over with her later this week and get her approval before we finalize anything, but in the meantime - what should our theme be?”

“I was thinking we could do a childhood themed lunch. Peanut butter sandwiches, carrot sticks, that sort of thing,” Kaetlyn suggests.

“That’s actually a great idea,” Tessa nods, writing it down, “Remind them what it’s like to be a kid – pull at their heartstrings so that they’ll loosen their purse strings.”

Scott groans and shoves her shoulder, “Please don’t make jokes like that at the fundraiser.”

“I thought it was quite a clever slogan, actually," Tessa shoots back, jabbing his thigh with her pen, and Kaetlyn laughs at them. 

 _It's good to hear her laugh_ , Tessa thinks with a private smile,  _Scott's so good at making people feel better._

"I like it," She says, and Tessa grins triumphantly at Scott. 

“It would be a good opportunity to showcase Suzanne’s jams, too. What’s more classic than a PB & J?” Scott says, reaching over to write it down on Tessa's paper, and she grimaces.

“What’s wrong with her jams?” Kaetlyn asks, noticing the look on Tessa’s face. It would be impossible not to, with the way her nose has scrunched up as high as possible.

“Nothing,” Tessa says slowly, “Just… some of her flavor combinations can be a bit… jarring.”

"Yeah, that strawberry peach jalapeno she brought in two months ago was a bit odd, I’ll admit. My taste buds are still recovering,” Scott makes a face and sticks his tongue out, earning another giggle from Kaetlyn.

“If we can get her to promise to only bring traditional flavors, though, then I’ll admit that would be great publicity for her.” Tessa taps her pen against her mouth. As unappealing as some of Suzanne’s flavors can be, it _would_ be nice to see her getting some recognition for the ones she does well.  

“So no onion banana kiwi then?” Scott teases, and Tessa winces at that particular memory. Oh how the smell had _carried_.

“Probably not that one,” She agrees.

          

The next few hours fly by as the three of them pour over venue options and discuss the menu and refine guest lists, until almost the whole fundraiser is laid out and ready to be implemented.

It’s probably the most successful morning Tessa’s ever had. She usually does so much of the work alone, it’s a little mindboggling how much easier it is with help.

It’s also wonderful to see how Kaetlyn is really coming into her own now. She’s been at the company only just over four months and yet she’s grown so much. There’s still a ways to go, but the Kaetlyn Osmond who walked into her office for an interview would never have been willingly, enthusiastically offering ideas and voicing her opinions like she is today, and Tessa can’t help but feel a tiny bit of pride about that. Someday she's going to go off and be a world champion in whatever field she chooses.  

Tessa may have, pardon her French, royally fucked up the whole Ryan situation, but in regards to Kaetlyn’s growth in the business world, there, at least, she can count a personal victory. 

“Hello?” A woman’s voice calls out from the foyer, interrupting whatever Scott was saying about finances while Tessa’s mind was wandering, and Tessa jumps up from the table with happiness at the sound of her friend. 

“Midori’s here! Great work, guys, but let’s put a pause on this and come back to it later.”

She practically jogs into the foyer – eager to see her best friend who had gone away to Barbados for the holidays, leaving Tessa high and dry in her time of need - and Scott and Kaetlyn follow at a much more leisurely pace behind her.

Instead of rounding the corner to find Midori, though, Tessa sees a man there as well. A man she hasn’t seen in a few years, but knows all too well. A huge grin spreads across her face in response to his surprise appearance as she walks over and greets him with a warm hug.

“Andrew Poje, as I live and breathe.”

“Tessa Virtue,” He grins down at her, “The last time I saw you was in that closet your junior year at Western.” He wiggles his eyebrows at her, and Tessa blushes. “How have you been? You’re certainly as stunning as ever.”

“And you’re still as much of a flirt as you ever were,” Tessa throws back at him, letting her hands linger on his impressive biceps for just a moment longer than necessary. He’s still just as tall and good looking as he used to be, with a warm smile that somehow makes you feel like the only woman in the room.

It’s a smile Tessa had become very familiar with when she’d been roommates with Midori at Western. Andrew – Midori’s cousin – had visited them more than a few times and there had been quite a lot of flirting, although it never resulted in anything more than a fumbling make-out session in a closet at a house party towards the end of term.

Still, his return has butterflies fluttering in her stomach. The lingering question of _what if_ hanging between them, and Tessa grins giddily up at him.

“What are you doing here?”

“Andrew’s just returned from Cambodia,” Midori explains, nudging him with her elbow and rolling her eyes, “And he wanted to come say hello to you as soon as possible.”

Andrew smiles without shame or embarrassment at Midori's comment, “Well Midori kept telling me all these stories while I was gone about how you set her up with Alex and how you’re taking over the world, and I had to see it for myself. Looks like all those psychology classes you took ‘just for fun’ are paying off.”

"Yeah, I guess we’re doing alright,” Tessa replies, although the sting of her recent failure makes it impossible for her to rave about her business like she normally would, “But Cambodia! That’s exotic and exciting. What were you doing there?”

“I was on a medical internship helping bring basic care to impoverished communities there,” Andrew shrugs like it’s nothing, but Tessa leans back - impressed. To be honest, he’d seemed like a bit of a deadbeat back in college. Happy to ride on the coattails of his wealthy aunt. It’s nice to know he’s changed for the better and found something productive to do with his life.

“That’s amazing! What a noble cause.”

"It is. And it made my aunt happy. She threatened to disinherit me if I didn’t do something useful with my bio-medical degree,” He jokes and they all laugh except, notably, Scott, who Tessa can see watching them stone-faced from the corner of her eye. The two of them never had become friends, despite shared interests in hockey and free beer (what else matters to boys in college?), and she's never understood why. 

“That would be tragedy,” Scott deadpans, and Tessa subtly elbows him in the ribs and mouths _be nice_ , which he purposely ignores.

“Scott, nice to see you,” Andrew says in return, shoving his hand out to shake Scott's, and there seems to be a flash of a challenge in his brown eyes, “Still dating that blonde?”

“Kaitlyn?” Tessa snorts before Scott can answer, “Thankfully, no. That was a very short-lived romance, thank god.”

“Oh, so you guys don’t hear from her anymore? Wasn’t she your roommate, Midori?”

“She was,” Midori answers him, and Tessa’s grateful because _roommate_ sounds so much nicer than _arch nemesis_. “And I still talk to her from time to time, but Tessa… not so much, no.”

“Ah, I see,” Andrew smirks, looking back at Tessa a little too knowingly, and she makes an effort to look as innocent as possible.

“Why are we wasting time talking about Scott’s old mistakes?” She jokes, dismissing the topic with a wave of her hand, “How long are you in town for?”

“I’m not sure yet. It depends what I can find to keep me here,” Andrew winks and Tessa blushes again, much to her annoyance. He really is an incorrigible flirt, and her cheeks have been turning red too many times today, “Speaking of which, we’ve come to steal you for lunch, if you haven’t eaten.”

“Nope! Steal me away,” Tessa smiles, “Let me just get my purse and we’ll go.”

“Tess, we were kind of in the middle of something,” Scott reminds her, and Andrew and Midori both glance back and forth between them.

“If you need to work, Tess, we understand,” Midori says, but Tessa shakes her head and finishes putting on her coat with Andrew’s help.

"No, we’re just working on planning a fundraiser for Suzanne, but it can wait while we eat something.”

“You’re planning a fundraiser? Am I invited?” Andrew grins, straightening the collar of her coat so that it's sitting correctly. 

"This is for people who are actually interested in helping Suzanne’s school,” Scott states bluntly, “It’s not just some frivolous excuse for a party.”

“I get that,” Andrew replies, “But what’s the harm in letting me attend? After all, I have plenty of money. I might as well spend some of it on a good cause.”

“You don’t even really know what the cause is,” Tessa points out with a laugh.

“I know you’re involved, which means it must be good. Mark me down as your first official benefactor.”

“Thank you, Andrew,” Tessa says as they prepare to leave, pausing to throw reprimanding glance back at Scott, “I will.”

 

          ****

 

A few days later, Tessa stands outside The Bag Lady adjusting her coat against the wind and staring up at the familiar brown building and red door - mentally preparing herself for what’s about to occur.

It’s not that she doesn’t like Suzanne, because she does. She had been a wonderful dance coach, a brilliant choreographer, and almost like a second mother to them, but after Tessa and Scott retired from ballroom dance, she decided to turn her talents to teaching underprivileged children. A noble cause, but it means that she spends all of her time with little kids, and that carries over into how she treats Tessa sometimes.  

Where once they might have become dear friends as Tessa reached adulthood, now they’re stuck in a weird friend/mother/teacher amalgamation and it can makes things a little awkward. She’s still incredibly nice, but… overly enthusiastic. And the last time they’d gotten lunch together she’d wiped jam off of Tessa’s cheek with her thumb and loudly reminded her to sit up straight and be aware of her posture – completely embarrassing her. 

She’s just hoping she can make it through today without being told to wash her hands or forced to listen to Suzanne regale her with an embarrassing memory from her past.

(Last time it has been a story about how she’d split her pants in front of Scott and all the other male dancers when she was fifteen – not exactly a moment any woman wants to relive.)

She also tends to drone on and on about her one and only favorite niece, a topic of discussion Tessa generally tries to avoid and almost always fails to prevent from popping up in the course of the conversation. No matter what they’re talking about, Suzanne finds a way to connect it to Kaitlyn. It’s sweet how much she loves her niece, but… does she have to love her quite so much?

“Tessa!” Suzanne practically screams as soon as she walks into the tiny café, smothering her with a hug that puts a mouthful of wildly curly blonde hair right in Tessa’s face, “It’s so good to see you.”

“You too, Suze," Tessa replies, pulling the hair from her mouth, "I hope all is well.”

“Oh, everything’s just peachy!” Suzanne grins and then winks, “Just like my latest jams. Now let me look at you.”

She holds Tessa at arm's length as she steps back and looks her up and down, repeating the motion twice while Tessa fidgets under her appraisal. Somehow after all these years she still cares what Suzanne thinks of her. The teenager in her still seeking validation for her make-up and costume choices.

“You get more grown up every time I see you. Beautiful, as always, but too thin,” Suzanne states with a decisive nod. It’s the same thing she’s said for years and Tessa’s come to expect it, so she just smiles. “You need to eat more. I’m ordering the biggest piece of chocolate cake they serve here.”

“Well, I’ll never say no to chocolate cake,” Tessa replies, and Suzanne laughs.

“That’s my girl. Now, you mentioned wanting to talk to me about something important today.”

“Yes,” Tessa says, pausing to say thank you to their waitress as she sets two glasses of water down in front of them, “Scott was telling me –“

“Oh, Scott,” Suzanne interrupts fondly, “That boy. He’s all grown up now too, of course, but somehow he’ll always be that little rascal I used to know. We had lunch last week – did he tell you? He brought me a new mystery novel to read, like he knows I love. He’s always so thoughtful.”

“Yes, he is,” Tessa agrees patiently, “But that’s what I’m trying to say. He –“

“Although his hair is getting too long. You really should encourage him to cut it.”

“I like it longer,” Tessa says in spite of herself, accidentally getting lead off course by Suzanne’s ramblings – something she’d sworn she wouldn’t let happen.

The corners of Suzanne’s mouth lift up conspiratorially, and she eyes Tessa like she knows something Tessa doesn’t, “Of course you do.”

 _Whatever that means,_ Tessa thinks, biting the inside of her cheek to keep from getting frustrated at the interruption.

"Anyway," Tessa drags out, attempting to shift things back on track, "What I’m trying to say is that Scott mentioned your school and that they were threatening to cut the arts programs, and we want to help.”

“Oh, I appreciate that Tessa, dear, but what can you do? Find me a match with a wealthy man?” She laughs so hard she snorts, and Tessa chuckles awkwardly.

“Um, no, not exactly. We also do event planning, and we want to throw you a fundraiser. You wouldn’t have to do much – we already have most of it planned. We just need your school’s approval.”

“Tessa, that’s –" Her voice gets thick with emotion and she pauses to collect herself before continuing, "I don’t know what to say. That’s so kind of you. This really means a lot to me, and it will mean even more to those kids.”

“It was mostly Scott’s idea, I’m just implementing it.”

“You forget how well I know you. You’re doing a lot more than you let on, but tell Scott I say thank you.”

“If you want to thank Scott for this, I know he cannot get enough of your jams," Tessa says slyly. She can't wait to see Scott's face when a whole basket of her weird flavors gets delivered. 

“Really? I’ll have to make him something special, then. You know, you two are just like Kait – always helping people.”

 _Oh good lord. Here we go._ So much for avoiding the niece. 

“She’s coming home from Cambodia soon. You know she’s been in the Peace Corps, of course, assisting the community - particularly women and children - to improve their overall health and well-being. Increasing their ability to address health-related issues and working to improve their water supply and sanitation. And she adopted a cat.”

“A cat. How nice,” Tessa says politely, distracting herself with the menu, even though she has it all memorized at this point. 

“Yep. It’s blind in one eye and missing a leg, poor dear, but she picked it up off the street and took it home. She named it Dixon and it’s just the cutest little thing. I've got pictures, if you want to see.”

“I’m more of a dog person, actually.”

Suzanne doesn't miss a beat at Tessa's snarky comment and continues right on enthusiastically, “Oh, I can’t wait for her to visit and tell me more about her adventures.”

More? What more could there possibly be to tell? She’s emailed at least once a week the entire time she’s been away – how could there possibly be anything left? Although Tessa wouldn’t be surprised if Suzanne showed up with a story about how Kait saved a village from flooding singlehandedly or something. At this point, she’s half anticipating Kaitlyn Weaver to morph into a genuine superhero, complete with the power of flight, faster than you can say “speeding bullet.”

“That will be exciting, that’s for sure," Tessa says diplomatically, instead of the myriad other sarcastic things on the tip of her tongue, "I’m sure she’s had an amazing time.”

“We’ll have to do dinner! You and Scott and me and Kait. It will be so fun!”

Tessa can imagine at least ten things that would be more fun off the top of her head, including walking into traffic, but she smiles and agrees anyway. 

“So you approve of our plan for a fundraiser, then?” Tessa brings the conversation back around to the topic at hand, and thankfully Suzanne follows her lead and drops any further mention of Kaitlyn.

“Yes, absolutely. Anything for the children. Just tell me what you need from me, and I’m there.”

“Thank you, Suze. This is going to be great, you’ll see.” Her smile this time is genuine, and Suzanne returns it - clasping Tessa's hand across the table and squeezing. 

“With you at the helm, I wouldn’t expect anything else.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Obviously I've fudged some of the familial relationships in this story. Just go with it. ;)


	7. Chapter Seven

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The fundraiser. An argument about hair. And a certain blonde.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it took a few days to get this chapter up, but… you know… Worlds happened.

  ** two steps forward… **

****

The sky is bluer, the sun is brighter, the world is shinier, and everything’s coming up roses. That’s what happens after a storm and, as difficult as it was, Tessa knows that she’s weathered her own. The last month has been full of so many planning details that the company Christmas party has been the last thing on her mind, and she’s delegated everything that she can to Kaetlyn so that her assistant doesn’t have any time to spend thinking about it either.

It’s essential that Kaetlyn get over her crush on super scumbag mediocre athlete Ryan Semple, both for her own good and for Tessa’s associated guilt, so Tessa’s been taking some precautions. She had their I.T. department block Ryan’s social media pages from their web browsers so Kaetlyn can’t cyber-stalk him, issued a gag order on talking about him at the office (which really meant just her and Scott, not that he’d complained), and asked Kaetlyn to run even the most ridiculous errands whenever she started looking blue.

(Their coffee bills from Black Walnut have been astronomical this month.)

And it had worked! Kaetlyn had thrown herself into this project for Suzanne one hundred and ten percent and it shows. Everything has been planned to perfection and, while Tessa and Scott did their fair share of course, there will be a huge gratitude bouquet waiting for Kaetlyn on her desk on Monday.

They’d decided to have the fundraiser at the Highbury school to help soften the hearts of the donors. The school has a large cafeteria and Tessa had brought in a decorating team to transform it into something truly magical. They’d draped rolls of cream colored fabric in long lines across the ceiling, alternated with rows of twinkling fairy lights, and the table settings couldn’t be more elegant. If she didn’t know where they were, it could almost pass for one of the finer event establishments downtown. Suzanne had also had some of the children paint pictures to serve as centerpieces for an added sentimental touch, and it really completes the aesthetic.

They’d gone with an upscale version of Kaetlyn’s idea for food – fancy peanut butter and jam sandwiches, vegetable sticks, juice and chocolate milk to drink. It _could_ have been ridiculous, but Tessa had found a caterer with vision who brought the whole thing together and managed to make it really classy.

“You should be really proud of yourself, Kaetlyn,” Tessa pulls her assistant aside for a warm hug, squeezing her a little tighter for a second to really drive the point home, “This is truly amazing work.”

“You did a lot of it,” Kaetlyn tries to brush her off, ducking her head and blushing, but Tessa only wags a finger at her. It’s something they’re working on – getting her to accept compliments and acknowledge when she’s done a good job – because Tessa intends to help Kaetlyn become as confident in herself as possible this year.

“Don’t dismiss your own contributions. You’ve really done a phenomenal job with this fundraiser and I’m so proud of you.”

“Who are we proud of?” Andrew appears at their side, holding out his hand to offer them both apple slices he’d apparently pilfered from the catering table, and Kaetlyn takes one with a little giggle.

“Kaetlyn,” Tessa accepts one of the slices as well and bites into it with a satisfying crunch, “She planned most of this.”

Andrew turns towards her and holds up his hand for a high five, “You did? That’s awesome! You’re really good at this.”

“Only because –“

Tessa looks at her sharply and Kaetlyn presses her lips together before taking a deep breath and changing her response.

“Thank you very much, Mr. Poje. I’m glad it’s turned out well so far.”

“And it’s only just begun,” Tessa nods approvingly, “The night is still young, but these investors will be practically throwing their checkbooks at us by the time we’re through.”

“I don’t doubt it,” Andrew grins, “I’m going to get more snacks. What is it about finger foods that make them so much better than regular stuff?”

The two women watch him go, and Tessa takes note of how well-dressed he is this evening. Like he’d put in extra effort, even though he’s technically a guest and they’re supposed to be impressing him, not the other way around. There’s also an oddly tense set to his shoulders, and if Tessa didn’t know better she’d say he’s _nervous_. But… what on earth could he have to be nervous about at a school fundraiser?

“Oh good,” Kaetlyn interrupts her thoughts with a happy sigh and a wide smile, waving at someone behind Tessa’s back, “Scott’s here.”

“Late as usual,” Tessa jokes, turning around to greet him as well, but her smile falls the second her eyes find him in the crowd.

She’d made him promise. Made him _swear_. That he would treat tonight like the most important event of the year and he had agreed, despite his hatred for formal wear now that he’s no longer required to wear it for competition, to do it to make the best impression on their guests for Suzanne. His black suit from Charlie’s wedding is perfect, the red tie a nice touch, and his shoes are as shiny as they come, but his _hair._

"What on earth did you do to your hair?” Tessa stares horrified at the slicked back disaster on his head. It’s gone. All of his beautiful hair has been pushed back in a criminal act worthy of being brought in front of the war crimes tribunal at the Hague.

“What’s wrong with it?” Scott reaches up to run his hand through the dark strands, only to remember at the last second that he can’t do that with so much product in his hair and let his hand fall uselessly back to his side.

“You put gel in it.”

“So? This is a very important event, as you reminded me no less than twenty-seven times _this week_. I didn’t think my usual flow was appropriate.” He looks at her like she’s being ridiculous, and maybe she is, but she just can’t let this go. 

“So you picked this!? A little bit of gel would have been fine to keep it more controlled and give it style, but this is too much.”

“Well,” Scott folds his arms over his chest defensively, stretching the sleeves of his jacket tight over his shoulders and biceps, “Next time you can do it then, since you care so much.”

That is definitely not something she’s opposed to, now that she’s seen what kind of mess he makes on his own. He can, and often does, tease her about her lack of cooking skills all he wants, but nothing she’s ever made in the kitchen could match this level of disaster, and if he can take it upon himself to cook for her a few times a week to save her stomach, she can take responsibility over saving his hair.

“I will! I’m coming over to your apartment and doing it myself before major events from now on. Clearly you can’t be trusted.”

“Well _you_ look nice, Virtch” He gestures to her lacy yellow dress and smiles sarcastically, “See? That’s normally how friends greet each other. Not attacking their hair styles right out of the gate.”

“That’s because my hair is always impeccable,” Tessa throws back at him, pointing confidently to the perfectly styled side-bun she’s currently rocking.

“Not true,” Scott crows in a sing-song voice, “I very clearly remember those bangs you used to have.”

“When I was ten! That doesn’t count.”

“What about when you were going through your Britney Spears phase and bleached your hair at my house so that Kate couldn’t stop you and it went orange? I think that’s worse than anything I could ever do with gel.”

Curse him for bringing that up. She’d been blonde less than sixty seconds before calling Jordan in a panic and begging her to bring brown hair dye to Scott’s house so she could fix the mess she’d made and then made everyone who’d seen her like that promise never to mention it again.

“Okay, again, I was a kid. At least I didn’t shave my head like you did during your Eminem phase, Slim Shady.”

“You have a point there,” Scott concedes with a wince. Neither of them had been very kind to their hair in their youth, “I learned my mistake.”

“Just like you have today?” She teases, cocking her head and grinning up at him, and Scott rolls his eyes, his voice heavy with sarcasm when he responds.

“I have to run all my hairstyles by Tessa Virtue, even though I’m a twenty-nine year old man and perfectly capable of doing my hair myself.”

“If that were true, this wouldn’t have happened. Here,” She takes his hand before turning towards Kaetlyn, who had been watching the exchange like a front-row audience member at Wimbledon, “We’ll be right back.”

She practically drags him down the hallway until she finds what she’s looking for – pushing the chipped faded red door open and tugging him into the girls’ bathroom.

“Well, this is humbling,” He deadpans.

It’s clearly meant for the younger girls because everything is ridiculously sized-down. It makes Tessa, who’s five foot five on a good day, feel like a giant. But she presses on anyway, pulling out a ream of brown paper and laying it down on the counter before guiding Scott to sit on top of it.

“Now hold still.”

He rolls his eyes again, but doesn’t move while she gets her hands wet and starts running them through his hair. The gel makes her fingers feel all gooey and slick, but thankfully it starts to come out and his hair begins to look alive again.

Scott’s eyelids fall closed while she works and he tilts his head towards her to grant her better access, humming something quietly under his breath. She can’t quite place the tune at first, but then…

“Is that Justin Bieber?” She asks with a laugh, and Scott’s eyes shoot open and his mouth opens and closes like a fish while he splutters around for an answer.

“No, definitely not.”

“I think it was. I recognize _Sorry_ when I hear it,” She taunts him, wiggling her hips a little and singing, “Is it too late now to say sorry? ‘Cause I’m missing more than just your body.”

“It was playing on the radio on my way over here,” He grumbles defensively, his hands grabbing her hips and forcing her to stop dancing as he repositions her between his outstretched legs, “It got stuck in my head.”

“There’s no shame in admitting you’re a Belieber, Scott,” She grins, stroking his jaw with one of her gooey fingers and leaving a streak of gel there that he wipes off with a grimace.

“I don’t even know what that is.”

“Uh huh,” She scoffs, biting her bottom lip to keep from outright laughing at him and trying to focus on finishing with his hair.

“The fact that you do means you are one, anyway, so you can’t mock me for it.”

“Oh, I’m not mocking,” She holds her hands up in defense, “I can freely admit that sometimes I enjoy cheesy pop songs.”

“I know. Most of us can only listen to _You Make My Dreams Come True_ so many times before we go crazy, but you –“

“Hey,” She flicks his ear, “There will be no Hall and Oates bashing in my er… bathroom.” They both look around at the completely blue tiled room, the fluorescent lights flickering above, remembering where they are and immediately busting up laughing.

“Your style really has changed, T,” He manages to say between chuckles, “But as your partner, I’ll try to support you.”

Tessa moves to throw her hands over her chest in an act of gratitude, but remembers the goo residue at the last second and hovers them over her cheeks instead, “That means so much to me, thank you. I’m honored.”

“You’re welcome!” His grin is boyish and pleased and Tessa laughs, but as she does she gets hit with the the strong concentrated scent of his hair product.

Looking curiously at her fingers, she utters the realization out loud, “My hands are going to smell like you all night now.”

Scott's own hands dig into her waist for a second in response to her words before relaxing, and he arches an eyebrow at her as a playful smile spreads across his face, “Oh yeah? Is that a problem?”

“No,” She shrugs, stepping out of his grasp and rinsing the rest of the gel off her fingers in the water, paying particular attention to the rings on her left middle finger where a lot of it had congealed (she should really have taken them off first), “I just wouldn’t have wasted expensive perfume if I knew it was only going to get masked by eau de Scott.”

“Eau de Scott – coming soon to a store near you,” He jokes, tickling her in the ribs and making her squeal and jump away.

Tessa retaliates by flicking water at him, shooting him a look that warns there's more where that came from, and Scott holds his hands up in surrender.

“Alright, alright. Don’t start that. We can’t go back out there sopping wet, and we both know I’d win.”

“Uh, no,” Tessa protests, “I don’t think so. Remember the Moir family water fight of twenty-thirteen? I trounced you!”

“I would prefer even to fail with honor than win by cheating,” Scott says haughtily, and Tessa’s heart does a funny little flip at the sound of him quoting Sophocles. She’d had that printed on a paper on her fridge their last competitive year when it looked for a little while like they might lose the championship to another team’s unfairly inflated scores.

(They hadn't, thankfully, proving there was still some justice in the world.) 

She’s about to compliment his memory, but then she realizes exactly what it is he’s implying.

“I did not cheat!”

“You did. You were wearing a white t-shirt, Tess.” He states that fact like it’s the answer to everything, and Tessa squints at him and makes a face. She’s not sure what her wardrobe had to do with anything. It’s not like cotton repels water.

“So?”

“A _white t-shirt_ ,” He says again, slower this time and with more enunciation, and she realizes what he means – her cheeks flushing with color.

“I had a bikini on underneath.”

“Well I didn’t know that, and it wasn’t a risk I was willing to take.”

“Like I would participate in a water fight with your whole family in _just_ a white t-shirt. I’m not an exhibitionist,” She mutters, “Not in front of family, anyway.”

Scott makes a choking noise like he’d swallowed his spit wrong, and Tessa grins privately to herself in triumph. That's what he deserves for thinking she would ever cheat to win. 

“I demand a do-over then,” He finally manages to say once he’s recovered from the shock, his own cheeks a pretty shade of pink, “You, me, my parent’s house, and a whole lot of water balloons.”

“Deal,” She sticks her hand out and enthusiastically shakes his hand, “But maybe not until summer. I don’t really want to catch hypothermia.”

“That’s a good call,” He chuckles, “But you’re still coming to Sunday dinner tomorrow, right? My mom keeps bugging me about it. She said it’s been way too long and you owe her. Somehow she’s got it in her head that _I’m_ making _you_ work too hard and I need you to tell her it's the other way around.”

“Oh…” _Crap._ She hadn’t counted on this subject coming up today. Or at all. “I want to, but I can’t tomorrow. I’m um… going to a restaurant opening with Andrew.”

His face falls and she rushes to make amends, hating that expression and the fact that she’s the one who put it there. She knows how important family time is to him and how much he hates disappointing his mom. “But I’ll come next week! I promise!”

“Andrew, huh?” He moves away from her and over to the hand dryer – twisting the silver nozzle around so that it can work as a makeshift blow dryer and put some volume back in his hair.

“Yeah. I guess he’s a real foodie,” She has to shout to be heard over the blower, and where two seconds ago everything had been free and easy between them, now there’s a weird, anxious vibe and she’s on tenterhooks waiting for his response.  

“Sounds like fun,” He finally says once the dryer shuts off, turning around to face her with a smile, and Tessa smooths out some of the more wild tufts of hair sticking out at funny angles. There's just enough lingering gel to keep them in place. He moves as if to pull away from her at first, but then stops before it becomes a _thing_ , and she feels even more strongly that something’s suddenly not quite right.

He’s never liked Andrew and she really wants to know why (if he’s dangerous or something, shouldn’t she know?), but now doesn’t feel like the right time to press him about it. Besides, if it was something terrible, surely he would have told her already. She trusts Scott with her life, so no, whatever his reasons are they must be personal. As unfounded as they may seem.

“There. Very handsome,” She smiles genuinely, letting her fingers trail over his ear before dropping her hand back down to her side. He really is quite good looking. She's thought that from a young age, back when he was the most popular kid in dance class and she'd had a girlish crush on him, and he only seems to get more so every year. 

“No longer embarrassed to be seen with me, kiddo?” He asks quietly, like he’s self-conscious about it all of a sudden, and Tessa grips his hand in hers.   

“I’m never embarrassed to be seen with you.”

“Then let’s get back out there. It’s smells like bleach and old heating vents in here and I’m pretty sure those are globs of toilet paper stuck to the ceiling and they could fall down at any time.”

Tessa looks up at  where he’s pointing and scrunches up her nose. Kids really can be so disgusting sometimes.  

“Yeah, let’s go. We’ve got some arts programs to save.”

          

 

It just so happens that there is no amount of training or networking experience that can adequately prepare you for just how boring some people can be. It’s like there are certain business owners and CEOs whose careers just suck the life out of them, until they’re nothing but a shell held up by stock portfolios and debt equity ratios.

Tessa’s been stuck in a conversation with five such people for the past twenty-three minutes (she knows because she’s been watching the clock on the far wall with mind-numbing dedication), and if she doesn’t escape soon there’s a very real chance she might throw her glass of chocolate milk on one of them, just to see if they’ll react or simply calculate the cost of dry-cleaning.

Scott’s across the room talking to a woman with a long blonde perky ponytail in a coral colored cocktail dress and Tessa’s eyes keep drifting over to him as the investors around her continue chatting about profits and deficits and the cost analysis of investing in schools.

It’s for his benefit, really, that she’s keeping an eye on him. He’s made some sketchy romantic choices in the past and it’s her duty as his best friend and professional lifestyle coach to help him avoid making any more mistakes in the girlfriend department. Her professional reputation is at stake if he makes any big blunders. How would it look for her business partner to get entangled in a messy situation on her watch?

Which is why she’s doing her own mental pro/con analysis of the blonde when she really should be schmoozing the people around her.

Pro: The woman's dress fits her perfectly and accentuates her ass without being too racy. Very event-appropriate. 

Con: Her heels are a weird metallic gray color that clash terribly.

Pro: She has fantastic posture.

Con: She’s blonde. While normally that shouldn’t be an issue on its own, Tessa has developed a healthy reticence about blondes ever since Kelly. His last girlfriend before his apparent dedication to celibacy who Tessa’s pretty sure is the one who hid garbage under her back porch and signed her up for subscriptions to thrilling magazines like _Donkey Talk Quarterly, Emu Today,_ and _Girls & Corpses_.

She’s _still_ trying to get her name off of those mailing lists.

There’s something familiar about the woman he’s with now though that Tessa can’t quite place. Perhaps it’s the tilt of her head, or the flick of her wrist as she gesticulates while responding to him, or maybe it’s the way Scott’s smiling at her like they’re old friends.

The woman turns her head to look over at Suzanne and give her a small wave, and Tessa freezes.

It can’t be.

Suzanne waves back with too much enthusiasm, nearly knocking the glasses off of some elderly woman’s head, and Tessa chokes on her chocolate milk.

It _is_.

“Miss Virtue, are you alright?” The older man standing next to her reaches out and takes her elbow while the others make varying comments of concern, but Tessa waves them all off.

“Yes, I just swallowed wrong. Pardon me. I think I need some water.”

Bypassing a few more people eager to talk to her, Tessa makes her way across the room – setting her glass down as she goes and running her tongue along her teeth to make sure there isn’t anything stuck there. She hopes to god that her breath isn’t too chocolatey and that there isn’t any lingering peanut butter on her gums.

“Tess!” Scott calls out just as she’s getting close enough to try and casually eavesdrop on their conversation, effectively ruining her attempt at being stealthy. “Look who’s here!”

“Kaitlyn Weaver,” Tessa says, smiling through clenched teeth, “You’re back from Cambodia at last.”

“Tessa,” Kaitlyn pulls her in for the most polite, formal hug in history that Tessa is forced to return. She mouths _help me_ at Scott over Kait’s shoulder, but the traitor only silently laughs. “It’s been much too long. An entire lifetime, it seems!”

“It has been a while,” Tessa agrees awkwardly, taking an extra step back to put the appropriate amount of space between them again, “You’ve been busy saving the world, so I hear.”

“Oh,” Kaitlyn huffs out a little self-deprecating laugh, her ponytail swinging back and forth as she shakes her head, “Hardly. Just doing my part for humanity, you know, just like you.”

The way she says it sets Tessa’s skin crawling. She knows it _sounds_ like Kaitlyn is only being nice – with her friendly smile and bubbly voice - and to everyone else it would be a compliment, but Tessa can just tell that underneath the surface she meant it as a jab.

It’s incredibly annoying how the presence of a single person can simultaneously make Tessa feel like an inadequate ignoramus _and_ make her want to prove herself at the same time. Jordan had suggested over the years that Kaitlyn was actually an excellent motivator, if only out of spite, and Tessa can begrudgingly see her point.

“That’s all any of us can do, really,” She agrees, smiling sweetly instead of voicing or giving away her real thoughts, “Did you know Scott and I planned this event for Suzanne?”

“I did! We were just talking about it. It’s really very kind of you. I’ve been so busy getting my Voss partnership off of the ground, I really haven’t had any time since getting home to help my aunt's school, so this really takes a load off my shoulders.”

_I didn’t do it for you_ , Tessa wants to say, but Scott shoots her a look over Kaitlyn’s shoulder like he knows exactly what she’s thinking, and she purses her lips together instead.

“Kait’s working with Voss to get more clean water to impoverished communities in southeast Asia. Isn’t that great, T?” Scott chimes in, nodding encouragingly for Tessa to take her cue, which she does with a smile that would make her mother proud.

“That’s amazing, Kait!”

Does Scott have to look so impressed by her? Okay, so Tessa might not have ever helped provide clean water to a foreign country, but her pursuits at home aren’t completely useless. She has done plenty of charity work in Ontario and she’s not sure why that should be seen as _less_ just because it’s different.

“Tessa! Here you are. You have to hear this story,” Andrew appears almost out of nowhere and throws his arm around her shoulders, and she feels a rush of affection and gratitude towards him for saving her. “This woman, Mrs. Ratcliffe, has the most ridiculous story about how frogs started her company. I swear you have to hear it yourself.”

“What do you mean frogs?” Tessa laughs, wrapping her arm around him in return. He couldn’t have had better timing if she’d planned it herself.

But his attention is no longer on her. Instead he’s looking at the blonde across from them – the smile frozen on his face. “Oh, hi Kait. I didn’t expect to see you here.”

Tessa glances over at Scott, who looks just as confused as she does. Sure, Andrew had visited her and Midori at university, but she’d never seen him interact with Kaitlyn. “You two know each other?”

“Our paths crossed briefly in Cambodia,” Kaitlyn answers with a polite smile, “If you’ll excuse me, my aunt is beckoning for me to join her.”  

“What a small world,” Scott comments idly, watching Kaitlyn walk away. Tessa waits for his eyes to drop to her ass, but thankfully they don’t and she breathes a sigh of relief. No sign of any rekindling of _that_ relationship, thank god.

“She looks different since the last time I saw her,” Andrew says casually, bringing her attention back to him, “Tired and washed-out. Don’t you think?”

“I try not to think about Kaitlyn Weaver,” Tessa mutters, and Andrew throws his head back and laughs.

“Touché. Now, can I take you over to hear Mrs. Radcliffe’s story?”

“Please do,” Tessa grins, “Coming, Scott?”

“No, I think I’ll go find Kaetlyn and try to drum up more money for the children’s school,” He answers pointedly, and Tessa feels a little guilty that she’s not going to talk to investors with them. But then… she did talk to quite a few earlier, and Mrs. Radcliffe is also a potential investor. There’s nothing wrong with doing some chatting before asking for a donation.

“Suit yourself,” Andrew shrugs, guiding her away, and Tessa quickly forgets her guilt.

After all, the night is already a success, and she’s allowed to have some fun, even if Scott disapproves. He's her partner, not her father, and he needs to learn to get over whatever his ridiculous grudge is against Andrew so that things stop being awkward.

Andrew's a likable guy so it really shouldn't be very hard, and she predicts that, with a little push, they'll all be the best of friends by Midori's wedding in a few months.  

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In case you're wondering, YES those are real magazines.


	8. Chapter Eight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some people keep turning up like a bad penny.

** one step back **

****

Mondays are invigorating. Especially Mondays after such a successful weekend. The fundraiser had been a huge hit and her outing to the restaurant with Andrew yesterday had been a lot of fun. He’d made her laugh almost half as much as Scott does (which is saying a lot), the food had been delicious, and there had even been a live band. The only downside was finding out Andrew is a mediocre dancer, but she thinks with some practice she’ll be able to fix that.

Now Tessa’s back at work, revitalized and ready to face the new week and whatever challenges it might throw at her.

She’s got her advice column to write, an article on _7 Mind Tricks for Self-Motivation_ she needs to start drafting for her mother’s magazine, and a plethora of emails to answer, and so she takes an extra-long sip of her coffee and fires up her computer with a renewed zest for life.

The first few emails are spam, followed by one from Scott with a joke that makes her laugh out loud, and then an odd one from a French email address, danseuseétoile@hotmail.fr. She nearly discounts it as junk mail and deletes it, but the first line catches her eye so she pauses to read the whole thing. 

 

_Chère Madame Virtue,_

_My fiancé and I would be honoured if you would be willing to plan our wedding celebration. Your reviews online are superb and I believe your elegant taste will match perfectly with ours. I would love to meet you in person. Unless we hear otherwise, we will plan on stopping by your office on Monday, February 20 th to begin organizing this wonderful event._

_Salutations distinguées,_

_Gabriella Papadakis & Ryan Semple_

 

What. The. Hell.

Tessa rereads the email five times and then stares daggers at the last name on the signature, willing the letters to rearrange into any other possible formation. Any other anagram will do: Palmy Sneer, Many Lepers, Parsley Men. Literally anything other than the name _Ryan Semple_.

Surely it can’t be him. The very notion of that man sending her an email – let alone asking her to help plan his _wedding_ – is completely absurd. But how many Ryan Semples can there be? No, it’s definitely from him.

But how can he be ENGAGED? It’s barely been two months since he’d kissed her, and now he’s engaged to someone new? And why on god’s green earth would he allow his fiancée to contact her for wedding planning – unless it’s some sort of elaborate revenge play for her rejecting him back in December. Perhaps it’s a sick joke meant to taunt her in some way.

Well, if he thinks he can waltz into her office with another woman and make her jealous, he’s in for a sore disappointment. All Tessa feels for him is resentment, not a shred of sympathy or, she gags at the very idea, jealousy.  

Except he won’t even get that far. She’s going to reply back to this Gabriella woman and tell her that Monday simply won’t do, and she isn’t handling any more weddings at the moment. She’s got Midori’s to think about and continue working on, and that matters a hell of a lot more than some random woman and her awful husband-to-be.  

Tessa clicks the button to reply and starts to type out her emphatic answer when it hits her – today is Monday. Which means…

“Scott!” She screeches his name in horror, an ungodly sound she’s not sure she’s ever made before in her life. Black spots start appearing in her vision as her breathing rapidly increases, and she tucks her head between her knees in an attempt to stave off what she assumes is an impending anxiety attack.  

There’s a loud crash followed by muttered cursing and then he appears in her doorway looking completely panic-stricken. “Tess, what’s wrong? What is it? Are you hurt?”

“Ryan Semple is coming,” The words come out oddly stilted and robotic as she sits back up to talk to him - her eyes drifting over to the white email glaring at her from the monitor.

“What?” Scott sounds slightly less freaked out, his voice relaxing into something closer to mild confusion, which Tessa thinks is the opposite direction it should be going in. The appropriate response would be to freak out more.

“Ryan Semple is coming here,” She says again, slower this time in the hope that he’ll grasp the gravity of the situation.

“When? _Why_?”

“This morning – any minute, probably. He’s bringing his fiancée so we can plan his wedding.” Tessa beckons him over and he comes up behind her, propping his left hand on the back of her chair so that he can lean over her shoulder and get a better look at the computer screen.

“I don’t understand,” He mutters as soon as he’s done reading, “Is this a joke? Because it isn’t funny. I thought something serious had happened in here like you’d fallen down or gotten a bad phone call from one of our family members.”

“This _is_ serious,” Tessa jabs him in the ribs with her elbow, “Why would he hire us? _Me?_ This can only be bad, Scott.”

Scott stands up straight and rubs the back of his neck while looking over the short message again, “I agree it’s super weird. And I don’t like the idea of the guy who practically assaulted you coming back here and hiring you again. So just cancel.”

_If only I could!_ Tessa shakes her head, shoulders sagging in resignation, “I can’t cancel.”

“Uh, why not?” He looks at her like she’s not making any sense, and to him she’s certain it must look that way, but she has very legitimate reasons why she can’t back out of this now.

“Because one: the woman already scheduled an appointment and it would be unprofessional for me to cancel at the last minute, and two: I can’t let him win.”

“What are you talking about?” Scott huffs in disbelief, and Tessa spins her chair around to face him properly.

“Don’t you see? Clearly this is an attempt to get back at me.”

“You don’t know that.”

Tessa fixes him with a look and Scott has the decency to back down, acknowledging with his expression and a wave of his hand that she might have a point.

“Okay… maybe, yeah, it probably is. But you’re Tessa Virtue. Once he sees that you can’t be bothered by him, he’ll get bored and move on.”

“But I am bothered,” Tessa groans loudly and throws her head backwards so that she can glare at the ceiling, “Why can’t he just move on and leave me alone?”

“You’re a pretty tough person to move on from, kiddo.”

She can see Scott smiling at her from the corner of her eye, and she blushes at the unexpected compliment, “Well, that’s very sweet, thank you. But in this particular instance, I would prefer if that wasn’t the case.”

“Hey, come here,” He grabs both of her hands and pulls her out of the chair and into a warm hug, “Now just breathe.”

Tessa does as she’s told and closes her eyes - inhaling deeply and trying to match her breathing with his. It’s soothing, being held like this, and her heartrate slowly returns to normal the more she lets herself only focus on him. Briefly clearing her mind of any other thoughts and focusing on just relaxing.

“Tessa?” Kaetlyn says from the doorway, “Sorry to interrupt, but Ryan Semple is here...”

_Shit_ , Tessa thinks – eyes shooting open and anxiety rushing back in – _I forgot to warn Kaetlyn._

“Showtime,” Scott surprises her by kissing the top of her head before dropping his arms and stepping away, leaving her feeling oddly bereft, “I’ll be in my office if you need anything. You’ve got this, Virtch. Be strong.”

Tessa nods and then turns to Kaetlyn, whose cheeks have gone bright red as she fights the very obvious tears welling up in her eyes, and Tessa walks over and takes her hand with a squeeze.

“Send them in, Kaetlyn, and then why don’t you go pick us all up some lunch. My treat.”

It’ll be better if she’s out of the office and far away from whatever is about to occur. The last thing she wants is for Kaetlyn to end up even more hurt by all of this. Tessa can handle the likes of Ryan, but she can’t bear to see her assistant and dear friend in pain.

“Thanks, Tessa,” Kaetlyn whispers with a small, grateful smile, and Tessa knows she’s made the right decision.

“No problem. I’ll see you later.”

With only seconds to prepare, Tessa marches in front of the mirror on the far wall and does a quick once-over of her outfit. Everything seems to be sitting straight, there aren’t any embarrassing wrinkles, and she looks professional. Today she’d dressed for success, boosting her Monday morning mood, and she’s never been more grateful for that fortuitous wardrobe choice than she is right now.

(Thank god he didn’t come on casual Friday.)

“Good morning, Tessa,” Ryan saunters into the room like he’s the most important guest on the TIFF red carpet, accompanied by a skinny blonde dressed in a cashmere pink turtleneck dress and thigh-high boots, who can’t be much older than Kaetlyn, if at all.

She doesn’t look at all how Tessa pictured (she’d been expecting someone more like herself, to be honest), and she can’t get a good read on her. Normally Tessa feels pretty confident in her first impressions (present company excluded), but while at first glance this woman seems cold and austere, there is something warm in her brown eyes that can’t be discounted.

“Hello again, Mr. Semple,” Tessa holds out her hand for a formal handshake, determined not to be unsettled by him and his obvious attempt to disarm her, “I hope you’ve been well. Congratulations on your engagement.”

“Yes, thank you,” Ryan grins with a deep sense of satisfaction, but his eyes flash with unnverving hostility, “May I introduce my fiancée, Gabriella Papadakis. She’s just been hired as one of the principal dancers at The National Ballet in Toronto.”

Of course she’s a dancer. Tessa should have seen that coming. And a successful ballerina too, just to add insult to injury. That had been her dream until she’d met Scott, and even though she wouldn’t trade her years with him for anything, the little girl inside her still dreams about what her life might have been like.

Apparently, she would have been competing for the top spot with this woman.

“That’s very impressive,” Tessa smiles and turns to shake Gabriella’s hand. It’s surprising, how strong her grip is, and she wonders again just what kind of person Ryan’s convinced to marry him. “How did you two meet?”

Ryan speaks again for the both of them, taking Gabriella’s hand and kissing the back of it first, “I went to Paris to celebrate the new year and Gabby was at the same party I was. We were both special guests of Emmanuel Macron and his wife Brigitte. Perhaps you don’t know, but he’s probably going to be the next President of the French Republic.”

“I didn’t know that,” Tessa admits through clenched teeth. She hates not knowing things, especially when that lack of knowledge is being used against her. “I’m afraid I don’t have much time to keep up on French politics, but that must have been an amazing party.”

“It was beautiful,” Gabriella gushes, finally speaking out loud. Her voice is lower than Tessa expected and thickly accented, “It was an honor to be invited with the rest of the Ballet de l'Opéra national de Paris. Emmanuel was sweet to think of us.”

“Gabby was the shining star and I couldn’t keep my eyes off her,” Ryan interjects, wrapping his arm around his fiancée and looking at her like she’s some sort of precious diamond he’s come to possess, “I just knew I had to meet her, and the rest, as they say, was history.”

He bends down to kiss Gabby on the lips, but at the last second glances over at Tessa with a look that makes her skin crawl.

_He’s definitely here to taunt me_ , she thinks as the two of them deepen the kiss, _looking at me while he French kisses his French fiancée_. It’s entirely inappropriate for an office setting, let alone to do in front of someone you just met, and Tessa not-so-subtly clears her throat.

“You’ll have to excuse us,” Ryan chuckles, wiping lip gloss of his mouth, “We’re just so in love. And I want you, Tessa Virtue lifestyle guru and matchmaker extraordinaire, to plan the celebration.”

The way he says her name and job titles is definitely not meant to be a compliment, and it takes everything inside her not to return his sneer with one of her own. 

"I’m very happy for you both, but are you sure that’s a good idea?” It seems like the worst idea she’s ever heard, even more than Suzanne’s latest jam (guava turnip kumquat), and she’d honestly rather _not_.

Ryan waves his hand as if she’s being preposterous and he can’t think of a single reason why this might be a disaster, “We’re aware of how quick it seems, but when you know, you know.”

“No,” Tessa disagrees as politely as she can manage, “I mean me planning this.”

“Absolutely. You’re great at what you do, and,” He pauses for dramatic effect, “When I know, I know.”

“What about you, Gabriella,” Tessa asks in a last-ditch attempt to stop this from happening, “What do you want?”

“She knows that you’re the best,” Ryan answers for her again, and Tessa feels a rush of annoyance on Gabby’s behalf. She might not know her yet and the woman might turn out to be just as awful as the man, but it’s incredibly aggravating to watch him talk over her.

"I was asking her. She is the bride, after all.”

"Oui,” Gabby replies after glancing at Ryan, “I am new here and I don’t know the area well enough to plan it by myself. Having you to help will be such a relief.”

“There!” Ryan exclaims, clasping his hands together, “It’s all settled. We’ll plan on Gabby coming back in on Thursday to start going over the details. We’re thinking a spring wedding. April, maybe.”

“Spring _this year_ ,” Tessa gasps. How could they possibly be planning to get married so soon? It’s practically unheard of and they hardly know each other! Why, Tessa’s known Scott practically her whole life, but if they were ever going to get married she’d still want at least a year to enjoy her engagement.

“Why wait? When you know, you know,” Ryan repeats himself with a smirk, and Tessa wants to slap that smug smile right off his face. “Until Thursday, then.”

“Until Thursday,” Tessa agrees through gritted teeth, her smile only becoming partially more genuine when Gabby waves goodbye at her.

Mondays are the worst.

 

 

“Ugh!” Tessa walks into Scott’s office without preamble and sits on the edge of his desk – flopping backwards and lying on top of all his papers. She ends up covering most of the surface, only narrowly missing hitting his keyboard and monitor with her head. “I need a drink.”

“It’s noon on a Monday,” Scott replies bemusedly, arching a single eyebrow at her and looking like he’s trying desperately not to laugh at her dramatics. He tries to pull some of the papers out from under her, but she staunchly refuses to budge.

“After the meeting I just had, you’d understand. Please tell me you have whiskey or vodka hidden somewhere in your desk.”

Scott forcibly raises her arm and shoulder and finally tugs the papers free, “You think I bring alcohol to work?”

“No, but a girl can dream,” Tessa replies, turning to look at him with wide eyes and a sad frown - trying to elicit some sympathy, but Scott only laughs.

“So what did you think about her?”

"Who?”

“Who,” He nudges her shoulder with a pen and rolls his eyes, and Tessa gives him a coy smile, “You know who.”

“Voldemort?” She asks, voice dripping with innocence, and Scott pushes her a little more forcefully this time.

“Tes-sa!” He whines, “Seriously.”

“Oh,” She gasps, pretending to only just barely understand, “You mean his fiancée. She’s… elegant?”

“That’s it? That’s all you have to say?”

It’s obvious that he doesn’t believe her, and it’s Tessa’s turn to laugh then. He knows her too well.

“I don’t know what to say. Ryan hardly lets her speak so I don’t know what she’s like other than apparently an amazing Parisian ballerina with friends in high places and designer clothing.”

“Are they actually going to hire us?”

“Apparently they want to, but…” Her voice tapers off while she waves her hand around in the air as if to say _you know why that’s preposterous._

“But what?”

Does she really have to spell it out for him?

“He’s only doing this to rub it in our face.”

“If he’s going to pay us a lot of money, he can rub whatever he wants.”

Tessa looks at him in disgust and vigorously shakes her head, “Ewww. Very poor choice of words.”

“Sorry,” Scott scrunches up his own nose and they both laugh, “I’m just saying it wouldn’t hurt our company’s reputation or bottom line to do this. As long as he isn’t making you uncomfortable,” He adds darkly, placing his hand on her arm, “He isn’t right?”

Tessa rushes to reassure him, sticking her hand out to briefly caress the side of his face, “No, not like that, don’t worry. I just don’t want to look at his gross face.”

Scott laughs and places his hand over hers where it had slid down to his neck, lacing their fingers together and dropping their hands into his lap, “Look, T, I’d never pressure you into doing something that makes you genuinely upset, you know that, right?”

“Of course I do.”

“I’m just saying that if you think you can get through this like a mature adult, then it probably would be a good thing. He may not be the most famous athlete in Canada, or even Ontario, but he could still bring in more business for us.”

“You’re right,” Tessa groans, throwing her free arm over her eyes, “I’ll be mature. But I’m not going to like it!”

“Look on the bright side. It’s a chance at redemption. He was your first failure, after all.”

“Scott!” She cries out in protest, tugging her hand free from his and waving around until she finds his head and can shove his face away, “Don’t be mean!”

“I was trying to be positive,” He laughs without remorse and Tessa blindly sticks her tongue out at him.

“Your pep talks could use some work.”

He hums happily and goes back to whatever he was working on, his fingers click-clacking away at the keyboard, and the sound reminds her of something else she’d meant to ask him.

“Did I see Trennt at Kaetlyn’s desk just now?”

She’d thought she’d recognized the young man working at the front desk computer, but all of her focus had been on finding Scott and unloading her anger at Ryan on him. Now that it’s somewhat faded though, she can focus on the other pressing issue.

"Probably,” Scott agrees, and Tessa peeks out from under her arm just in time to see him shrug with one shoulder, “She needed some updates.”

"Did you call him on purpose?”

“You mean did I call him to come fix the monitor I accidentally broke when you screamed this morning? Yes, I did.”

“Oh… I thought maybe you were trying to distract her from Ryan.” Tessa rolls onto her side so that she can see him better, propping her head up with one hand, but Scott doesn’t look the least bit guilty.   

He brushes some of her dark hair off his keyboard where it had fallen when she moved and continues to type steadily away, “No, see, I don’t conspire about my friend’s relationships like you do.”

“Do you have any idea what you’ve done though?” She asks with a little more force. He’s awfully calm for a man that may have just done something terrible.

“Yes, I got my computer fixed.”

_Men,_ she thinks with a huff, _so oblivious_. She’s going to have to actually explain this to him.

“What if this sets my work back with Kaetlyn? She’s come so far since last fall and today has already been a serious test of her resolve. Now this? Didn’t you think about how it might hurt her?”

That does catch his attention and Scott stops typing in order to face her with a frown, his eyebrows drawing together in displeasure.  

“Okay, first of all, Kaetlyn is your assistant and friend, not somebody to work on, and second of all, I’m going to have to call I.T. sometimes, Virtch – technology isn’t always my best friend, as you well know. And thirdly, I resent the implication that I would willingly hurt Kaetlyn.”

“I didn’t mean it like that,” She immediately softens her tone at how upset he sounds. This is Scott, after all, who wouldn’t purposely hurt a fly. “I just don’t think it can be easy for her to see Ryan and Trennt again on the same day.”

“You’re right," He concedes, "And I should have thought about that first. I’m sorry.”

“It’s fine, I’d just better get out there and do some damage control.”

“And let me work,” He jokes, playfully attempting to push her off his desk, and she sits up with a laugh.

“I guess that too. Thanks for listening,” She hops up and drops a quick kiss to the top of his head, and Scott noticeably preens under her burst of affection, making her laugh again.

“Anytime, kiddo. Good luck with Kaetlyn.”

“Thanks.”

 

 

She finds Kaetlyn blessedly alone, but staring dejectedly at her computer screen – not actually doing any work. It’s not a good sign.

“Are you okay?” She asks softly, pulling a chair over and taking a seat by her friend.

"I think so,” Kaetlyn replies, sounding a little unsure, “It was just weird seeing him again.”

“Weird is normal,” Tessa places her hand over Kaetlyn’s and gives her her best, most reassuring smile, “The important thing is that it’s over. You never have to have your first run-in anymore because you already did it, it’s out of the way.”

“He was nice,” Kaetlyn continues, the corners of her mouth lifting up at the thought, “Nicer than I thought he would be.”

Ryan was nice? That's… surprising. And unbelievable, if Tessa’s being honest. She’d sooner believe he walked in and dumped celery root soda all over her head.

“He was? What did he say?”

“He asked me about work and how my holidays were and then we talked a little bit about the book I recommended to him. I was right – he really loved it.”

“You recommended him a book?”

“Yeah,” Kaetlyn nods, her smile growing a little bigger as she bites her bottom lip, “ _Romance of the Forest_. The title sounds kind of cheesy, but it’s actually really deep. He said it was great to read while waiting for software to upload.”

That last bit throws Tessa for a loop. She’s not sure at first what software has to do with Ryan, but then the metaphorical lightbulb goes off over her head as she realizes they are talking about two very different people here.

“Wait, you’re talking about Trennt Michaud? The I.T. guy?”

“Yes,” Kaetlyn finally looks at her, tilting her head to the side, “Who did you think I was talking about?”

“I thought we were talking about Ryan. I was worried about how you would feel after seeing him again this morning.”       

“Oh!” Kaetlyn laughs a little bit, which is even more unexpected than the conversation about Trennt. Isn’t she heartbroken? “That was fine. I thought I was going to cry at first, but then he didn’t even acknowledge me, which kind of hurt, you know, but that’s pretty much what I expected. His fiancée was lovely. I can see why he likes her more than me.”   

“Nobody could like anyone more than you,” Tessa states with conviction, “Ryan’s just an idiot, we’ve been over this, and you’re much better than he is.”

“Thanks, Tessa,” Kaetlyn smiles again, and each time it seems a little more genuine.

She’s definitely still feeling blue though, that much is obvious by the slight sag in her shoulders and the way her eyes keep glancing at the sticky note on her desk with password instructions and Trennt’s signature.

She needs a distraction. In fact, they both do.

“You know what, Kaetlyn? Let’s take the rest of the day off.”

“What?” She looks up at her with wide eyes, and Tessa almost laughs at how shocked she looks.

“We’ll play hooky and go get mani/pedis and facials and see a movie. There has to be something in the theatre worth watching.”

“But what about work?”

“Eh,” Tessa waves her hand, dismissing her concerns, “Scott can hold down the fort for one afternoon. He’ll be fine. And we deserve this after pulling off such an amazing event for Suzanne.”

“Um, okay,” Kaetlyn says slowly, like she can’t believe Tessa is being serious, but Tessa nudges her and quietly prompts the correction from months ago.

“Not okay, but –“

Kaetlyn’s eyes light up as she catches on, and she shouts, “Hell yes!” – pumping her fist high in the air.  

“Hell yes!” Tessa shouts back, giving her a high five.

They’re both going to get through this, no problem. How hard could it be? 

 


	9. Chapter Nine

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tessa struggles to plan Ryan Semple's wedding and things come to a head.

** cruel intentions **

****

**week one.**

****

Tessa is a strong believer that growth is painful. To stay in one’s comfort zone is easy, but the only way to grow and change is through discomfort. And what could be more uncomfortable than Kaetlyn and herself taking on a certain ex-skier and his fiancée as clients?

To be fair though, it’s also got to be pretty weird for Ryan as well. He has to be in a room with his fiancée, a woman he rejected, and a woman who rejected him all at once trying to plan the perfect wedding ceremony. Not to mention Gabriella, who _seems_ like she has no idea what kind of minefield she’s just walked into, but might potentially be an accomplice in Ryan's quest for vengeance.

Whatever is driving him to seek out Tessa’s services must be a pretty powerful motivator if he’s willing to overlook how uncomfortable it makes everyone, and that sets Tessa’s nerves on edge. A person that cold-blooded could be capable of anything.

But, to stare in the face of adversity and show courage and perseverance – that is the stuff that true character is built upon. And by the time this process is over, Tessa’s certain that she and Kaetlyn will have a _lot_ of character.

Working with Ryan is not going to be easy, but they’re professionals and they’ll treat this just like any other job and take no prisoners. Go for gold! Shine bright like diamonds! Triumph as a team!

Or whatever other motivating catchphrases she can come up with. Anything that keeps Kaetlyn from slipping back into her post-Christmas, pre-fundraiser blues.

"Tessa?” Tessa’s desk phone lights up green with the intercom notification, pulling her out of her thoughts, “Mr. Semple and Miss Papadakis are here. They’re on their way back.”

_Wait, they’re both here?_ She’d been anticipating just Gabriella and had only mentally prepared for dealing with the fiancée. Now she’s got to deal with him too?

She has not had enough coffee for this.

“Thanks, Kaetlyn,” She buzzes her assistant back over the intercom before taking a big breath of air in through her nose, counting to three, and then blowing it out slowly through her lips.

_You are a strong, independent, confident, successful woman, Tessa Virtue_ , she mentally reminds herself, making a fist and pumping it in the air like Rosie the Riveter, _you’ve got this!_

“Good afternoon, Tessa,” Ryan’s voice interrupts her silent pep talk as he and Gabriella stroll arm-in-arm into her office, both of them acting as if they own the place.

“Good afternoon Mr. Semple, Miss Papadakis.”

“Bon après-midi, Tessa,” Gabriella kisses her once on each cheek in a move so sudden that Tessa barely has time to respond accordingly before she’s already finished and slipping into the chair across from her desk, “Ryan was just introducing me to your charming partner, Scottie. He’s so funny!”

_Scottie!? Did she seriously just call him that? Where does she get off –_

"He does have an excellent sense of humor, that’s true,” Tessa agrees through clenched teeth, her smile tight and false. Twenty seconds in and this appointment is already testing her patience.

“He’s very handsome as well. Is there anything going on between you two?”

Ryan’s eyes are on her like a hawk while Gabriella asks her fairly innocuous question. It doesn’t seem, based on her tone, that she’s got an ulterior motive by asking, but Tessa has to take a moment to breathe out a few times through her nose before she can answer. It’s so presumptive and completely inappropriate. You wouldn’t ask the chef you hired to cater your wedding if they were dating the sous chef, so why is it appropriate to ask her?

“Of course not. He’s a dear friend and an excellent business partner, but no. We are entirely professional.”

“Pity. You would make a beautiful couple. Perhaps I will set him up with one of the other ballerinas then. I can already think of a few who would be perfect for him.”

“I’m sure Scott can find his own dates just fine. He doesn’t need help.”

Frankly it’s a miracle that Tessa isn’t glaring daggers at the other woman right now instead of whatever attempt at a bland smile she’s got going on. The gall of her. How could she be so impudent, impertinent, impolite and any other imp words in the dictionary – daring to suggest setting someone she hardly knows up on date. It's so totally crossing a line. 

“That’s an interesting philosophy to have in your line of work,” Ryan says with a challenging glint in his eyes, and Tessa bites the inside of her cheek to keep from frowning.

There is no comparison between what she does and what Gabby is trying to do. Her clients come to her first asking for help, she doesn’t go around thrusting dates on other people willy-nilly.

Well, except Kaetlyn a little bit with Ryan, but she’d learned her lesson there.

And okay, maybe when she first started setting people up she didn’t have a business yet and they weren’t officially her clients. But it had always been out of genuine concern for the people in question and a desire to see them happy. What possible genuine feelings could Gabriella Papadakis have towards Scott in such short of time that she thinks she can find his soulmate?

“I wasn’t expecting to see you both here today,” Tessa completely changes the subject, unwilling to continue with that particular topic any longer.

Ryan smiles arrogantly, leaning back in his chair with the satisfaction of a man who thinks he’s just won an argument. “Yes, that was the plan,” He chuckles, “But I was meeting with a new client near here so I decided to tag along. It is _our_ wedding, so we should be making all the decisions together. And it’s very important to me that you do everything perfectly.”

“Which I am sure you will,” Gabriella chimes in, smiling reassuringly.

“We always do our best to satisfy our clients,” Tessa tells her, her eyes shifting over to Ryan in a subtle warning glance, “As long as they’re upfront about what they want in the beginning. We don’t want any false expectations or misunderstandings.”

“Of course,” Gabriella nods, “I have a list of ideas I’ve started working on –“

“She’s very organized,” Ryan interrupts, placing his hand on the back of her neck and forcing her to lean in closer to his side, “You’ll be impressed.”

“I’m sure I will,” Tessa accepts the flashy pink and gold binder from Gabriella that she'd brought with her in a massive Gucci purse and flips it open to the front page. Everything’s written in French, but she’s able to understand the gist of it. Apparently when she said she’d started work it really meant she’s already got mostly everything figured out.

Just then, Kaetlyn walks into the room – standing tall and with a much friendlier smile than Tessa would have been wearing in her shoes.

“Sorry to interrupt, but I thought I’d come ask - would any of you like a cup of coffee?”

“An espresso, s'il vous plait.”

Kaetlyn nods and writes it down before turning towards Ryan, “Do you still prefer it plain black, Mr. Semple?”  

“Actually, today I’d like a grande, quad, non-fat, one-pump, no-whip mocha. And Gabby needs to branch out a little bit more, so why don’t you get her a triple, venti, half sweet, non-fat, caramel macchiato,” Ryan’s face becomes more and more smug as Kaetlyn scrambles to write down both orders as quickly as he can say them, and Tessa just knows with a certainty that he’s doing it on purpose.

“An espresso is fine,” Gabriella tries to insist, but Ryan shushes her. Actually _shushes her_ _like a child_. If he were Tessa’s boyfriend she would break up with him on the spot for that.

“Hush, you should try new things, my darling.”

“I don’t think we can make either of those here,” Kaetlyn says softly with an apologetic smile, “Our coffee machine is more basic than that.”

“But we have some excellent blends in our break room,” Tessa tries to back her up. There's absolutely nothing wrong with the coffee that they can provide here, but Ryan shakes his head with a snide little chuckle.

"I’m not in the habit of settling for less than exactly what I want. There’s a Starbucks around the corner. Thanks.”

Yep, this process is definitely going to be uncomfortable. Especially because Tessa has decided she thoroughly hates him.

          

****

 

**week four.**

 

It’s funny, the things you don’t see coming. Tessa knew this wasn’t going to be easy, but what she did not bet on was how much tougher it was going to be working for Ryan when he’s clearly being fueled by revenge, as opposed to misdirected affection.

The thing is, it really shouldn’t be hard. It’s been a few weeks now and Ryan and Gabriella seem to have already made most of the decisions themselves. Gabby (as she prefers to be called “by her dear friends”) is friendly enough and open to all of Tessa’s suggestions. Except, apparently, her suggestion to stop calling Scott, _Scottie._

It drives her insane every time she has to hear it. No one calls him Scottie except his mother or his brothers when they're picking a fight. It’s not his name, it doesn’t suit him at all, he very openly hates it, and she has no right to call him that. Who does she think she is to march into their office and change someone’s God-given name after knowing him for barely five minutes? It’s insufferable.

Friendship is and familiarity are two things that have to be earned, not married into.

_But_ Tessa is trying to let that go. They’re paying the company more than enough money to make this job worthwhile, and Scott insisted that as long as they’re paying customers she can call him whatever she wants.

(Although when Tessa had tried calling him that during their Friday night movie after paying him for her half of dinner, he’d thrown a pillow at her, so clearly there’s a double-standard.)

Ryan, on the other hand, is a pretentious, self-centered, insufferable, coffee snob. Tessa had thought she was picky about her coffee, but Ryan takes it to a whole new level. He thinks he’s too good for their office coffee, even though just last week Andrew said it was the best he’d ever had, and he’s a self-proclaimed expert in the field! But no, nothing but the fanciest, most ridiculous drinks from Starbucks will do for Ryan- _Elite Tastebuds_ -Semple, so week after week he forces Kaetlyn to go retrieve them for him.  

The way he treats Kaetlyn – like he’s so much better than her – is the worst thing of all. He openly snubs her and regularly gives her backhanded compliments. Last week he’d told her that she’s dressing better than she used to and the week before that was a comment about how most women can’t make thick-rimmed glasses work, but it’s good for Kaetlyn to try and break the mold.

Which is why instead of trying to include her in today’s planning meeting, Tessa sent her away on an errand. It’s better if she doesn’t have to endure any more of Ryan than she absolutely has to.

“Kaetlyn’s not here this time,” Ryan comments as he and Gabriella walk in the door, his eyes zeroing in on her empty desk with satisfaction. “Did you have to let her go? I know good help can be really hard to find these days.”

"No,” Tessa casually moves her hand behind her back and raises her middle finger. It’s petty, but it makes her feel better to retaliate – even if only privately. “She’s out picking samples for your invitations.”

“Great. Four’s a crowd anyway.”

Tessa nearly points out that the saying is  _three_ 's a crowd, but technically it would be impolite to do as his temporary employee so she bites her tongue.

He drops into his usual chair without bothering to pull Gabriella’s out for her, and honestly, the more time Tessa spends with the two of them the more she’s convinced they’re totally mismatched. She’s not even sure Ryan actually _likes_ Gabby, let alone loves her enough to get married. He treats her like an accessory, and if the pinched lips and tense set of Gabby’s shoulders are anything to judge by, she’s starting to like him less, too.

But, they have made it very clear they’re not interested in her matchmaking services or opinions, so any thoughts she has have to be reserved for barraging Scott with after they’ve left. If she _could_ speak her mind though, she’d tell Gabby to run and run far.

"Let’s talk about venues. What are your requirements?”

Gabby opens her mouth to speak, but as usual Ryan speaks over her, “Well we need a lot of space because we have a very long guest list. Gabby is well connected, even in Toronto – despite only being here such a short time, and I have some very high profile friends.”

“Yes, I am aware,” Tessa murmurs, making a note and trying not to add any sarcastic commentary in the margins. 

“We want an elegant venue,” He continues, “Something stately, without being stuffy. More glam, less glitz. A place that speaks to our personalities.”

_And bank accounts, no doubt_ , Tessa mentally rolls her eyes. Weddings should be about celebrating the couple and the love they share, not flaunting your wealth or status, but it’s obvious Ryan doesn’t see things that way. “Okay, well Kaetlyn has put together a whole spreadsheet of options organized by seating count, menu options, and date of availability.”

She hands them the chart that Kaetlyn had so carefully spent researching and organizing over the past week. Gabby takes it with a grateful smile and immediately starts intently looking over all of the options, but Ryan merely glances at it before frowning.

“Well I hate to waste her time, but I’ve already picked a venue.”

Of course he has. He’s probably already booked the place too, but couldn’t bother to tell them. No, why tell them when letting them waste their time is so much more fun?

“Which one?” Tessa asks, bitterness seeping into her tone that she clamps down on with her teeth. She can’t let him see her frustrations or he’ll think he’s winning.

“The Elm Hurst Inn & Spa. It combines historic charm and scenic beauty with modern amenities, and it’s the perfect mix of romance and sophistication. Gabby fell in love with it when we toured it yesterday, didn’t you, mon amour?”

“Oui,” Gabby replies on cue, accepting a kiss from him, but she doesn’t seem particularly enthusiastic about it. The kiss, not the location, which Tessa watches with no small amount of curiosity.

Their PDA bothered her at first, but now she’s started to catalogue it almost like an anthropologist. The way Gabby has become more and more reticent, the little ticks in her face when Ryan speaks over her or for her and then tries to smooth it over with a kiss. It’s fascinating, like watching an inevitable fight brewing in slow motion. 

“That was actually one of Kaetlyn’s suggestions,” Tessa says, wondering if that will bother him and feeling a little bit smug when he grimaces.

“Good for her.”

“You should know the Elm Hurst is very popular. It’s usually booked well in advance for weddings.”

“Well, I’m sure someone I know can pull a few strings if you can’t get the job done,” Ryan starts to reach for his cell phone, but Tessa stops him. 

“No, no, I know their events manager personally. I’ll give her a call today.” She can actually do this job. She doesn't need him to handle everything (or anything at all), even if it's clear that he thinks so. 

“Perfect. And we have very strict menu requirements. I’ll email you the restrictions. It’ll be easier than having you rush to write them down right now.”

“I look forward to it.”

“Until next time then!" Ryan claps his hands on his legs and stands up, heading towards the door and expecting his fiancee to follow, "Come on, Gabby. You can’t be late for rehearsals.”

One more week down, far too many left to go. 

 

****

 

**week seven.**

 

“Alex texted me, he’s got a conference call early in the morning and asked if we could move our reservations to six, I hope that’s okay.”

Tessa tries to ignore whatever her clients are talking about while she works on answering a few booking emails for them. Gabby had asked if she had any suggestions for their honeymoon and although Tessa doesn’t normally help with that sort of thing, she figured it might be a nice distraction. If she can’t actually go somewhere warm and beachy herself, she might as well take advantage of the opportunity to daydream about it and look at pretty pictures.

“Bien sûr,” Comes Gabby’s whispered reply. She’s sitting further away from Ryan than usual today, and Tessa had quietly added the observation to the list of reasons she suspects this relationship won’t last.

As the great Pacey Witter once said, “When you like someone proximity is a good thing, regardless of how they feel about you,” and what Gabby and Ryan have these days is far from proximity – at least as far as she can tell.

“Excellent. I can’t wait to pick his brains about wedding ideas. I’m sure he and Midori are planning something amazing.”

That makes Tessa pause. Surely they’re not having dinner with _her_ Alex and Midori? They’re mutual friends, of course, but somehow Tessa assumed that after she’d told Midori about the whole Christmas fiasco they’d stopped spending time together.

“Alex Harvey?” She asks, and Ryan turns to her – seemingly pleased to have recaptured her attention.

“That’s right. I really wanted him to get to know Gabby better and I can’t wait for her to meet Midori.”

“That’s nice. I’m sure they’ll get along. Midori is sweet to everybody.”

It’s a relief to know that this is the first time they’re getting together. If their social circles become any closer Tessa’s not sure she’ll be able to handle it. It’s suffocating enough as it is, but if she had to see the Semples at every event for the rest of her life? Well, she hears Japan is nice in the spring - lots of cherry blossoms.

“Have you been friends a long time?” Gabby asks, and Tessa smiles genuinely at the thought of her best friend.

“Yes, about seven years. Although sometimes it feels like we’ve known each other ever since we were little. She’s like another sister to me and one of the kindest people I’ve ever known.”

A wistful smile graces Gabby's lips – like she very much wishes for a friend like that of her own – and Tessa’s heart softens slightly towards the blonde. It must be so lonely, moving halfway across the world to a city you don’t know with only _Ryan_ for company. She can't imagine they have very much in common to talk about. 

“Perhaps you and Scott would like to –“

Ryan cuts his fiancée off quickly with a hand on her arm, “We would invite you, but it’s sort of a double-date thing. Couples only. Personally I’m hoping to get some relationship advice from them. After all, the best person to get relationship advice from is someone who’s actually in a happy relationship of their own.”

And there it is. The first insult of the day. Tessa sighs internally and pulls out her notebook dedicated to their wedding, marking another square off the Ryan Insult Bingo card she’d made before flipping over to a blank page. “Let’s begin, shall we?”

“Sure. You wanted to talk about the menu? I understand we’re having some problems with the chef,” Ryan sits back, propping his ankle up on his opposite knee (probably to flaunt the red bottoms of his Louboutins) and looking like he doesn’t have a care in the world.

“Yes, now I know you have very specific requirements for your reception dinner, but the Elm Hurst likes to change their menu to reflect the seasons.  They incorporate a lot of local produce and meats and –“

“Well then we have a problem.”

“No we don’t,” Tessa rushes to cut him off, quickly explaining the solution she’d spent all week negotiating, “Because he offered to make special meals for the both of you and their more usual fare for the rest of the guests. Chef Davies works with locally sourced produce and his menus include the finest Canadian products, and he holds the London Gold Plate Award for best area restaurant. I promise you won’t be disappointed. It’s win/win.”

“A compromise?” Ryan arches his eyebrow and Tessa can sense an argument coming, “You think that’s acceptable?”

“Um… no?”

Except _yes_! Of course she thinks it’s acceptable, otherwise she wouldn’t have suggested it. They get to eat their weird food and everyone else gets to actually be happy. This is only a bad plan because she’s the one who thought of it, and Ryan hates that.

“Do you accept less than perfect things in your life, Tessa?”

“Perfect is impossible. Scott and I always say that we strive for excellence instead, and the menu Chef Davies has put together for your wedding is excellent. Just look at it and I promise -”

Ryan holds up his hand and stops her, leaning forward in his seat, “Well Gabby and I like things to be perfect. We’ll just have to have a different chef.”

“But the Elm Hurst exclusively –“

"Hang on.”

Ryan pulls out his cell phone and steps into the hallway, walking far enough away that she can’t hear him properly. All she can make out is some murmured sentences and the occasional shout, but nothing detailed, so she has no idea who exactly he’s calling or why – only that when he walks back in he’s disturbingly happy. That kind of superior smirk he's sporting isn’t one she ever wants to see on his face again.

"Chef Davies won’t be a problem anymore.”

“What? Why not?”

She cocks her head in confusion and sees Gabby do the same out of the corner of her eye, clearly just as confused as she is. He’s up to something, and whatever it is, it can’t be good.

Ryan drops back into his chair and grabs Gabby’s hand – kissing the back of it over her gigantic diamond ring before breaking out into a smug grin, “I just had him fired.”

“You what!?” Tessa practically shouts, aghast, and Gabby looks as equally horrified as she does.

“Comment pourriez-vous faire une chose pareille?”

“He couldn’t give me what I want,” Ryan answers both of them.

“So you took away his livelihood? He’s been at Elm Hurst for over twenty years!” Tessa’s dined there more than a few times and Chef Davies has catered many of her mother’s private events. There is absolutely no way he deserves to lose his job over some outrageous request by an asshole with an agenda.

But Ryan merely shrugs, making it totally clear that he couldn’t care less. “With a reputation like that a chef should be able to accommodate any request, but apparently his years stagnating in that kitchen have made him lazy. I did him a favor by forcing him to branch out.”

“Michael Davies has a husband and children and a home and now his whole life has turned upside down because you couldn’t bend on your stupid no fruit, limited vegetable yet somehow still vegetarian, practically inedible, ketogenic demands!”

Tessa shoots up out of her chair and glares at him. She’s fuming now, genuinely steam-coming-out-her-ears fuming. This is the last straw. He can’t be allowed to continue like this, unchecked and left to his selfish, spoiled, entitled demands. She won’t allow it any longer.  

“The ketogenic diet isn’t stupid, Tessa, It’s -”

It’s her turn to cut him off is what it is, and she does it with relish, “It’s stupid, Ryan! On its own probably not. I’m sure there are many wonderful people who swear by it, but your crazy version and impossible demands for a chef at a wedding!? It’s unbelievable!”

“Are you criticizing me for my high standards? Gabby and I are athletes and our bodies deserve to be treated like the temples they are.”

“Oh my god. I can’t. I just can't,” Tessa snorts, throwing her hands up in the air and sinking back down into her seat with a huff.

“You can’t what?”

“I can’t do this anymore. I thought I could, but this is the last straw. A man is out of work because of you, and I won’t be part of this. You need to find a new wedding planner.”

“Are you really sure you want to do that? Think of the bad publicity we could throw your way,” He taunts her with a venomous sneer, “You wouldn’t want word of another failure getting out.”

“You’re one client out of many,” Tessa answers much more coolly than she feels, “We can handle it.”

“I should have known after your first disaster that you’d never be able to handle something of this caliber. I was just waiting to be proven right. I’m surprised you lasted this long.”

“Ryan, what –“ Gabby looks back and forth between them with a furrowed brow, and although Tessa had suspected she didn’t know the history between them, she’s certain now that Gabby had no idea. The poor woman looks like she’d just walked into the middle of Act II of a play and has no clue what’s going on or how to react.

“Come on Gabby, we’re leaving. We’ll find someone who isn’t completely incompetent to do our wedding.”

Ryan grabs Gabby’s hand again and forcibly tugs her up from the chair, dragging her out of the office without so much as a glance backwards.

_Good riddance_.

Tessa slumps forward until her head hits the desk and groans loudly. Objectively, she probably just made a very, very bad decision. She’d acted tough about his threat, but the truth is in a business like hers, reputation is essential. It’s very possible she just dealt herself and her company a crippling blow by kicking him out, but she can’t see how she had any other choice. What he did was despicable, and she got into the lifestyle business to do good things, not help someone be evil.

“Tess?” Scott calls softly from the doorway, and Tessa rolls her head to the side to look at him.

“Did you hear any of that?”

“I heard all of it,” He grabs the chair Ryan just vacated and drags it over so that he can sit down next to her, encouraging her to move her head up from her desk and rest it on his shoulder instead. “You did the right thing. I was about to come in here and kick him out if you didn’t.”

“Yeah? You’re not worried that I just ruined our business?”

“Nah,” Scott shrugs, tucking her head more firmly under his chin and wrapping his arms around her in a comforting hug, “I don’t think he’ll actually do anything. He talks a big game, but he doesn’t actually know that many important people, and the ones he does know are friends with Alex and Midori - whose wedding we are also planning and which will be perfect, right?”

"Right,” Tessa mumbles, still not feeling reassured. All it takes is the gossip getting in the ears of one right (or wrong) person for it to spread like wildfire. People who might otherwise come to them will be reminded that she fought with one of her clients and think twice about hiring her.

“If it makes you feel better, none of their deposits are refundable.”

The tiniest smile spreads across her face, and she sighs and sinks a little further into him, “That does, thank you.”

“I'm proud of you for standing up to him. Usually I'm the one that gets all emotional," Scott chuckles and presses a kiss to the top of her head, "Don’t overthink this, kiddo.”

But how can she not overthink it? They didn’t do what they set out to do – make someone’s life better. Instead it was nasty and upsetting and just… ugly. She’d been feeling such a high after their success with Suzanne’s fundraiser – like she’d found her true purpose – and now that’s been smothered by this icky feeling of disappointment and regret.

Tessa lifts her head up and moves back slightly so that she can look at Scott properly when she speaks, choosing her next words carefully, “Do you know what I told my mom when she asked me why I wanted to do this?”

“Because you wanted to help people,” Scott answers easily, brushing away a few strands of her hair that had come untucked during their hug.

“Yes, and I still do. I like the matchmaking because I believe in the idea of love. The life-coaching because I want to see people reach their fullest potential. And the party planning? I love creating those memories.”

“Yes,” Scott agrees slowly with a confused smile, “It’s very rewarding. What’s your point?”

“This – this has been toxic. This was a very selfish person using his engagement to torture anyone who’s ever hurt his feelings. He dragged me and poor Kaetlyn into this mess intending to take us down with him, just because he was bitter.”

“So what are you saying?”

“I want to take the company in a different direction.”

Just saying the words out loud makes Tessa feel like a weight’s been lifted off her shoulders, and she sits up a little straighter – trying to imbue more confidence in her voice and demeanor.

“What?”

“I want to focus more on charitable causes,” She takes Scott’s hand as she continues, trying to convey just how much she means this with a simple touch, “I’ll still do all the other things so we keep making money, but instead of planning only weddings and engagement parties, I want to take on more charity fundraisers like we did for Suzanne.”

“I think that’s great, Tess.” Scott replies without hesitation, squeezing her fingers between his and beaming at her.

“You do?”

“Absolutely! I love the charity work you and I get to do with ballroom and little kids and stuff, but it would be great to do even more and help more causes. And you know…” He pauses, and something about his hesitation makes her nervous, “It might help to have someone on our staff with experience in that area…”

“Like who…?”

He better not say what she thinks he’s going to.  

“Kaitlyn Weaver.”

“No!” Tessa shoots up out of her chair for the second time that day, sending it flying backwards and crashing into her desk, “No, no, no, no, no.”

Scott stands up as well, reaching for her hand again, but Tessa rips it out of his grasp. He doesn’t get to touch her after suggesting something so awful – it’s not allowed. Privilege _revoked_.

“Just hear me out. She has a degree in social policy, experience with charity work, she’s smart and great at networking when she wants to be -”

“We can’t have two Kaitlyns at the office. It’ll get confusing!” Tessa argues, clutching at the first excuse she can come up with. It’s a little flimsy, but given time she’s certain she can come up with something more concrete. The name argument will have to do for the moment.

“That’s ridiculous. She has all the right qualifications, she needs a job, and it would make Suzanne happy. Besides, I already know she’s interested in what we do.”

That brings her up short. Why would Scott know what Kaitlyn Weaver is interested in? She’d thought he’d only seen her the once at the fundraiser, but suddenly she’s not so sure. “How would you know?”

“I had dinner with them last week. Give her a chance.”

He _what?_ When? Where? Why? What on earth would possess him to willingly spend time with her? “You had dinner with Kait?”

“And Suzanne,” Scott reiterates, “Yes.”

“And you talked to her about our business – and offered her a job – without even consulting me?”

This. This right here is the ultimate betrayal. He’s committed a mutiny and left her to rot on a god-forsaken island a la Jack Sparrow. She never should have agreed to watch _Pirates_ with him last weekend – apparently it had only given him ideas.

“She asked about what I’m doing now so I explained it to her and she said she thought there was a lot of potential to expand what we do. I didn’t offer her anything, T,” Scott clarifies, but it does little to make her feel better, “I’m just saying it might not be a bad idea to have another person on our team to help manage events. Kaetlyn was a ton of help with Suzanne’s fundraiser, but what if we need to juggle two or three events at once? You can’t ask her to handle all of that, or expect yourself to, either.”

“You’ve actually put some thought into this, haven’t you?” She glares at him suspiciously. This all seems a little too thought out to be entirely spur of the moment. It’s a premeditated mutiny. _Even worse_.

“A little bit, yeah,” He shrugs and runs his fingers through his hair, totally messing it up, and for once she doesn’t want to fix it for him. There's an official embargo now on physical contact of any kind. “But I would never say anything to Kait without your permission. I just thought you could use the help.”

“I don’t need help. I can handle it just fine.”

“Come on, T, don’t be so stubborn. Expanding is a good thing. It means we can do more,” He looks at her with those stupid puppy-dog eyes and she can feel her resolve weakening.

“I guess… _maybe…_ I’d be willing to consider it,” Tessa hedges, speaking slowly and holding her hands up to keep Scott from interrupting, “But only on the condition that she knows I’m the boss. She doesn’t get to come in here and take over my business like she did four years ago.”

“Tess,” Scott laughs, “You were selling store-bought brownies for three bucks a piece outside of the testing center and Kait just suggested she make homemade cookies to sell as well, it was hardly a hostile takeover.”

“It doesn’t matter. I did all the hard work growing a customer base and reputation and a rapport with my fellow students, and then she came in and started taking some of the profits!”

“You were _both_ exploiting stressed-out college kids,” Scott points out with another laugh.

“I always gave you a discount though,” Tessa reminds him, jabbing him in the chest with her index finger and then frowning when he traps her hand there with his own and refuses to let go, “Besides, those kids needed the extra sugar boost before taking their exams. I was helping them.”

“I didn’t say it wasn’t a smart business model.”

He grins and continues to keep her hand trapped over his heart, until Tessa gives up trying to free it and blows the strands of her hair that had come loose again out of her face with a huff. He calls her stubborn? He’s at least just as headstrong as she is.

“Excusez-moi.”

To both Tessa and Scott’s surprise, Gabby knocks on the open door and walks back into the office, this time apparently blissfully alone.

“Miss Papadakis, what are you doing here?”

“I came to apologize to both you and Scottie. What Ryan did was wrong and I did not condone it. I have ended my engagement to him.”

Tessa’s mouth drops open in unison with Scott. Sure, she’d been wondering if the relationship would last, but she hadn’t expected something like this to happen.

“I wasn’t sure to begin with and my doubts have been growing," Gabby continues to explain, "I wanted to believe in the fairytale romance, but he is no prince charming.”

“You can say that again,” Scott mutters and Tessa elbows him in the ribs. He’s right of course, but Gabby might not be ready to joke about it just yet.

“Thank you for your apology. I’m sorry things didn’t work out for you.”

“C'est d'accord,” Gabby waves her hand dismissively, “There is always another man. I will move on. Though it will be lonely not having a friend outside of the dance company.”

“Have you eaten?” Scott asks suddenly and both women turn to look at him with cocked heads.

“No, I have not,” Gabby answers with a small smile. Tessa briefly scrunches up her face, guessing what’s about to come out of Scott’s mouth next.

“Would you like to have lunch with me and Tess? We’re just going down the street to a local place. It’s not fancy, but it’s good food.”

“Oui! I would love to! You are too kind!”

“Great! We’ll both get our jackets and then we can head out.”

Tessa shakes her head at his retreating form as she grabs her coat and purse from off the wall. Leave it to Scott to make a new friend with the snap of his fingers. But she can’t say that she minds. Out of everything that’s happened, having lunch with Gabby is far from the worst thing that's happened today.

It really is funny, the things you don’t see coming.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I thought it might be a nice twist to have the Mrs. Elton character in this not actually be awful. Especially since no woman deserves to end up married to Ryan in this story ;)
> 
> Credit to Emma Approved episodes 44-48 for inspiring this chapter.


	10. Chapter Ten

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A new employee joins the team and their next charity event is planned.

** will you accept this rose? **

****

Tessa finishes straightening the black and white leopard print pillows on the chairs in Kaitlyn’s new office and looks around with satisfaction. It’s been two weeks of changes – some good, some bad – but she’s trying her best to embrace them all. Starting with accepting Kaitlyn Weaver onto their team.

She’d spent the entire weekend clearing out all of the storage boxes from their third office and doing a complete decorative overhaul based on what she'd found snooping on Kait’s Pinterest boards. A much better use of her time than spending forty-eight hours listing all the reasons this could be a bad idea. Now the room, with its plain white walls and black and white striped floor, pops with hot pink furniture and gold accents. Just the thing to make Kait feel at home here.

Not that Tessa particularly wants her to feel at home. Frankly she wouldn’t be too upset if Kait called that morning and said she’d changed her mind and wouldn’t be working for them after all, but as long as the plan is for her to help with their charity endeavors, Tessa will try her best to make it painless for everyone involved.

The bell jingles over the front door in the foyer and Tessa straightens the shiny gold stapler before walking out to greet their newest employee. Scott’s supposed to be here with her, both for moral support and because he gets along better with Kait, but apparently he’s gone AWOL this morning – leaving her to fend for herself. _Traitor._

"Good morning, Kait,” Tessa puts on her brightest smile and greets her with a very brief hug. She nearly laughs at the blonde’s outfit – silky pink shirt and leopard print skirt. Tessa should get an award for designing her office so perfectly.

“Good morning, Tessa,” Kaitlyn replies just as formally, “Thank you for inviting me to join your team. I look forward to working with you.”

“Of course. We could use someone with your experience.” She repeats the same thing Scott had told her time and time again ever since suggesting they hire her, hoping that it sounds more convincing than Tessa feels. “Let me give you a tour.”

It doesn’t take very long to show her around, given the relatively small size of their space, and Tessa is relieved when Kaitlyn seems to be more than satisfied with the design of her room.

“Feel free to add whatever pictures or knick-knacks you want. We’ve all personalized our space in our own ways.”

“This is perfect just the way it is. I don’t really like to mix up my work and personal lives.” Kait fidgets with a string at the hem of her blouse, the only crack in her otherwise poised and perfect façade. There’s something almost uncomfortable and defensive about her comportment that makes Tessa wonder if she’s hiding something. Who doesn’t want at least one picture at work to remind them of the people they love?

And as for not mixing work and personal lives, that's going to be hard considering they know most of the same people. 

“Not even pictures from Cambodia? I’m sure you must have tons of those.” It wouldn’t even be personal, since she was there with the Peace Corps and she’s meant to be helping with their charity work, but Kait still shakes her head at the suggestion.

“Yes, but that’s over now. I’m ready to move on and put Cambodia behind me.”

“You don’t miss it?” Tessa presses, “Two years is a long time to live somewhere and not form attachments to it or the people.”

“I miss some aspects of it, but it was time to come home.”

“Home. So you plan on making London your home then, not Texas?” If she’s going to stick around for a while, Tessa needs to know now. The less surprises your self-proclaimed nemesis can throw at you, the better.

“I’m not sure yet,” Kait hedges, “I’m just taking things one day at a time right now and enjoying spending time with my aunt. If there’s anything being so far away taught me, it’s that family is the most important thing. They keep us grounded and remind us of who we really are.”

Tessa thinks lovingly of her mother and sister and grandmother, and her brothers too, to some extent, although they live far away. She can’t disagree with Kait there – family is definitely important – and she understands why she might want to spend some time close to them again before deciding on her next move.

“You’ll have to get used to those jams,” Tessa jokes, feeling gratified when Kait cracks a genuine smile.

The front door bangs open, making them both jump, and they run out into the foyer to find Andrew stumbling through the entryway with the world’s biggest bouquet in his hands hiding the entire top half of his body, including his head. In fact, the only reason she knows it’s him is because of his cheerful good morning that he calls out from somewhere behind a clump of rhododendrons.

“The delivery man from Dixon's Florals was bringing these up to the door, so I thought I’d save him a trip,” Andrew explains, “I think the card said they’re for Kaitlyn Weaver. Where should I put them?”

“Wow,” Tessa gasps. It’s a monumental first day gift and she desperately wants to know who would be sending this kind of thing to Kait. “From Suzanne?”

“Maybe,” Kait takes the card and slips it into her pocket without reading it, an odd move in Tessa’s opinion. Half the fun of getting a surprise gift of flowers is reading the card accompanying them. But then, she’s never understood Kait so she doesn’t expect to start now. “You can put them in my office.”

“Will you show me the way?” Andrew sounds like he’s smiling, oblivious to the way Kait grimaces, and readjusts his hold on the vase where it had been threatening to slip.

“Um, sure, follow me.”

Tessa taps her chin with her index finger and watches them go. The flowers aren’t from Suzanne, of that she’s certain. The older woman couldn’t possibly afford to send something so extravagant and they aren’t suited to her taste. Suzanne would have sent something cheaper and less impersonal. No, something so audacious could only have been picked by someone trying to get Kait’s attention.

This is a mystery and Tessa can’t wait to solve it. 

“That thing must weigh a ton,” Andrew returns to the foyer alone, wiping his hands off on his pants and coming to stand beside her with a playful grin, “Whoever sent it has terrible taste.”

“You think so? Do you know who it was from?”

“No idea. But it’s gaudy and impractical. I highly doubt you would want to receive flowers like that.”

“No,” Tessa smiles, “No I prefer something a little simpler, it’s true.”

“Something classic. Like roses.” Andrew pulls a single red rose out of his back pocket and hands it to her, holding up his finger to his lips, his eyes twinkling, “I snagged this one from the bouquet. She’ll never notice.”

“Why, thank you. That’s both devious and thoughtful.” It’s not her favorite flower, but it is pretty and she appreciates the gesture all the same, stolen or not.  

“A pretty rose for a pretty woman.”

Tessa blushes and struggles to find the perfect response, when the front door opens again and they're interrupted by the very late arrival of Scott and Kaetlyn.

“Sorry we’re late, T.” Scott helps Kaetlyn remove her jacket before hanging up his own, and her assistant comes rushing over with a million apologies on her lips.

"It’s my fault. My car wouldn’t start and the buses don’t run close to my apartment and the mechanic said he couldn’t get there until tomorrow because Mondays are so busy and –“

“And so she called me and I picked her up. I promised you wouldn’t be mad,” Scott finishes for her with a smile and Tessa takes Kaetlyn by the shoulder and pulls her in for a side hug.

“Of course I’m not mad. Things like this happen. I’m just glad you’re here safely and it didn’t die while you were driving or something. That would be so much worse than tardiness!”

“Oh, me too!”

“Me three!” Andrew jumps in, “Always nice to see you in one piece, Miss Osmond.”

He bows with a flourish, making both women laugh, and Tessa wishes for a moment that they could find a job here for him too. He livens up the place with his easy grins and quick compliments. Of course, he’d probably get absolutely no work done and be a total drag on their employee benefits, but life would never be boring!

“Andrew,” Scott extends his hand with an appraising look in his eye, “We haven’t seen you around for a while.”

Somehow Tessa doesn’t think Scott sounds too sad about that. He looks at Andrew like he’s done an evaluation and found him wanting.

“Yes, I had to go to Toronto. I needed a haircut.”

“No barbers in London could cut it, eh?” Scott finds her side, bumping her shoulder and sharing a smile over the pun, and Tessa giggles as she makes a face at him and bumps him back.

“I only trust my hair to one man: Benigno La Monte.” Andrew throws another smile at the women, this time adding in a wink on top, “Hair is important, right ladies? I can tell you both care about yours as much as I do.”

“Did you just come here this morning to get compliments on it, or -”

Tessa sneaks her hand behind Scott and pinches his lower back, making him jump and stop talking in order to frown at her. She doesn’t know why he’s being so snarky this morning, but whatever his reasons he needs to cut it out.

Andrew doesn’t seem bothered though, slipping his hands inside the pockets of his designer jeans and shrugging, “I was delivering flowers for Kait. Tess and I were just agreeing that they must be from a tasteless admirer. Except that one, of course.”

He flicks his head towards the rose in her hand and grins conspiratorially, and Tessa tugs her bottom lip with her teeth to keep from smiling. Out of the corner of her eye she sees Scott look back and forth between them, then down at the flower – the dawning realization that it was stolen from Kait’s bouquet evident in the way his forehead creases and his frown gets deeper.

“I didn’t say that, you did.” Tessa disagrees quickly – trying to move the conversation forward before Scott can scold them, but she can’t keep the humor out of her voice. Sure, technically she hadn’t said anything, but he’s not wrong about her assessment of the bouquet.

“You didn’t? Must have been the look in your eyes. I knew you agreed with me.”

“So you’re an expert at facial expressions now?” Scott cocks his head and folds his arms across his chest, and Andrew smirks.

“Only with some people. For example, it’s never hard to read your face, Scott.”

“Was there something else you wanted, Andrew?” Tessa intercedes before one of them can challenge the other to a duel. Over what, she can’t imagine, but she knows it would be intense and bloody. She’s seen Scott throw a punch before, Andrew doesn’t stand a chance. Although Andrew is taller, so he'd probably get at least one good hit in, and then she'd have to spend the rest of the day playing nurse to her wounded business partner. It's not exactly how she wants her day to go - even if there is something weirdly attractive about the idea of Scott with a black eye. 

"Yes, actually. The Toronto International Spring of Horror and Fantasy Film Festival is this weekend and I was wondering if you and Kaetlyn wanted to go with me. Or, what the hell, your whole office. Maybe Kait would like to come, too, since she’s been away for so long. I’d be honored to have the pleasure of the company of three lovely women.”

“Tess doesn’t do horror,” Scott snorts.

He clearly doesn’t care about the obvious snub Andrew just gave him – saying the whole office was invited but then only listing the women by name – but it makes Tessa feel a little defensive on his behalf. They'll never become friends with this kind of attitude.

“ _Both_ Scott and I don’t do horror. He’s all rom-coms and I like historical fiction and the classics, but if Kaetlyn and Kait want to go then I hope you all have a wonderful time.”

“That’s too bad. I’m pretty good at providing comfort during the scary parts.”

“I’m sure you are,” Tessa laughs, enjoying the thrill that shoots up her spine at the implication, even if she has no intention of acting on it.

She’s not exactly sure how she feels about Andrew these days, whether their outings are dates or if she even wants them to be, but she won’t deny that she enjoys his attention and the occasional flirting. It’s always gratifying to feel wanted by a handsome man.

“Excuse me,” Kait joins their little circle, looking confused, “I thought the calendar said we were supposed to have a team planning meeting this morning? Is that what this is?”

“Kait,” Scott greets her warmly, “Welcome to your first day! You’re absolutely right. We _should_ be working right now. Tess?” He gestures for Tessa to either begin or, more likely, kick Andrew out, and she turns to apologize to their friend for needing to get actual work done.

“Ah yes. What will your first world-saving event be?” Andrew asks before she can get the words out, looking genuinely interested, and to Tessa’s surprise it’s Kait that answers him.

“I’ve actually already been thinking about that and what our first charity event should be following the Highbury School fundraiser. I have connections at the Make-A-Wish Foundation, and I know they’re looking for someone to fill in their May slot after their last benefit coordinator pulled out. It’s short notice, only just over two weeks, but they’d appreciate it and it would be a great opportunity.”

“That would be perfect, actually!” Tessa replies, genuinely enthusiastic, “We can handle the limited timeframe now that you’re here.”

They could have handled it before her arrival too, of course, but she’s trying to be a supportive boss and not think negative thoughts about one of her employees. She just hopes Scott appreciates how much effort she’s putting in here.

“That is a good idea, Kait. You’re proving your value already.” Scott smiles and Kait smiles back with that familiarity of old, amicable exes and any good will Tessa was feeling towards the blonde vanishes.

Perhaps she should make a workplace dating rule, just so that everyone keeps things professional.

“You know what you should do,” Andrew chimes in, “A bachelor auction. The theme could be ‘Wish for the Perfect Date’ and all the proceeds would go to the kids. It would be fun for the adults, a little sexy,” He winks at Kait, “And I’m sure it would be super popular with the wealthy crowd.”

“I’m not sure that’s appropriate,” Kait frowns and Scott nods along with her. The sight of the two of them agreeing getting Tessa's hackles up. 

“Why not?” Tessa argues, “I think it sounds like fun! We could ask for men and women to volunteer. We’d set strict rules of course about the nature of the dates and what’s acceptable – like consent forms and strict legal papers for the bidders to sign so they understand the dates are entirely platonic.”

“And,” Andrew continues, feeding off of her enthusiasm, “You should let the bachelors and bachelorettes plan the dates themselves. It could be part of the package that people bid on. Like, Tess, you could volunteer and offer to take them out to dinner and give free lifestyle advice.”

“Oh, I wouldn’t be a bachelorette,” Tessa laughs, “I’d be the one in charge, I can’t exactly be up on stage. But I love that idea! We could ask people who have famous professions or useful skill sets that would help entice bidders.”

"Well if you’re not volunteering then I guess I’ll have to. Mark me down as your first bachelor.”

"Excellent!” Tessa turns towards Kait who looks almost horrified at what she’d caused, but it’s too late now. Tessa knows this is going to be a big hit and they’re rolling with it. “Kait call your contacts at Make-A-Wish and let’s get moving forward with this. Kaetlyn, start putting together a list of anyone who might be able or interested in volunteering. Ooh! Ask Gabby. She’s recently single and can offer something ballet related like a backstage tour of the Four Seasons Centre. Scott, start putting together a budget.”

It feels so good to have a purpose that she’s genuinely excited about again that Tessa’s practically bouncing with energy. She loves planning events, getting into the details, working out contracts, and this event is so much more invigorating and fulfilling than the Semple wedding ever could have hoped to be.

“That was a brilliant suggestion, Andrew,” Tessa walks him to the door after everyone else disperses to their various desks to get to work. (Some more enthusiastically than others - specifically Kaetlyn, whose fingers are already flying across the keys of her keyboard. She seems to be the only one on their team as eager about this as Tessa.)

“It was an average suggestion that I know you’re going to take and turn into something brilliant.” He shoots back with a grin and Tessa feels a flutter of butterflies set loose in her stomach.

“Are you serious about volunteering? You don’t have to, just because you suggested the idea.”

"Of course I’m serious. You just have to promise to bid.”

“I’m sure a dinner with you would be worth every cent, but I’m not sure that would be appropriate, given my position.”

“Well, if you feel like breaking the rules, I won’t be upset," He smirks, "Have a good day, Tess!”

The door shuts behind him with a click and Tessa leans up against it and sighs. It’s probably inappropriate to flirt with him so blatantly in her place of business. But she can’t help it. It’s fun and harmless and a rush, and what woman doesn’t like feeling like a man’s center of attention?

"Mr. Poje really seems to like you,” Kaetlyn stops typing for a moment, interrupting her thoughts. Her tiny smirk a little bit _too_ teasing for Tessa’s comfort and her eyes too calculating. Perhaps her assistant has learned more about matchmaking than she thought.

“He likes all of us,” Tessa corrects her, but she can’t help the way her ego grows a little at the thought. “A bachelor/bachelorette auction will be fun, don’t you think?”

“Oh yes. I can’t wait to get started. Do you think the bids will go very high?”

"Let's hope so. The more money we can raise, the better," Tessa pushes herself off the door, missing the way Kaetlyn's face falls. "I’ll be in my office if you need me.”

She heads down the hall with every intention of getting straight to work, but Scott calls her name from behind his desk, making her detour towards him instead – not exactly liking the frown on his face or whatever words are about to accompany it.

“How’s the budget coming?” Tessa sits down on the edge of his desk with a cheery smile, leaning forward to glance at the Excel sheets open on his computer. Perhaps if she jumpstarts the conversation she can keep control of it, rather than argue with him.

"An auction? Really, Virtch?” Scott says instead of answering her question, and Tessa pouts.

"It’ll be fun. It’s a cute theme, we’ll raise money for a good cause, and people will enjoy themselves. Why don’t you like it?”

“It just seems weird to be auctioning off people for charity.”

“We’re not auctioning people, we’re offering a whole package. Think of it more like bidding on lessons with an expert and maybe dinner. It doesn’t have to be anything more than that.”

And it really doesn’t. It’s not like they’re going to make the bachelors and bachelorettes do a boudoir shoot and then have people bid on spending the night with them. This will be a completely classy affair and one hundred percent consensual.  

“I guess when you put it that way,” Scott hesitates, mulling it over, “It’s not so bad. I don’t have to bid, do I?”

“Of course not,” Tessa reassures him (she’s not sure she wants to know what kind of woman he’d bid on, anyway), and a slow, mischievous smile spreads across her cheeks as a thought begins to formulate – a chance to get back at him for the times he's teased and embarrassed her over the years. “But you could be bid _on.”_

Scott hates being in the public eye, even though he's actually quite good at it, and Tessa just knows Danny and Charlie will love her forever for forcing him to do this. She can already hear the affectionate roasting that's bound to happen at every family barbecue this summer.

“Yeah, no thanks. Just because we’re doing an auction doesn’t mean I need to be in it.”

“But you’re a catch!” Tessa insists, “And the more people we have signed up when we start recruiting, the more others will be willing to join. It wouldn’t look good to ask a stranger to be the first volunteer. No one wants to be the only one.”  

“Not doing it.”

“Andrew’s doing it, and you’ll get just as many bids as he will, maybe more.” Tessa says, hoping that his competitive nature will take over and he’ll agree, but Scott just scoffs – his voice thick with sarcasm.

"Well that convinced me! What am I waiting for?”

“Come on, it’ll be good for our business. Get our faces out there.”

“You’re the one who likes that stuff, T, and you're objectively much prettier than I am. Why don’t you do it?”

“I already explained that since I’m managing the event I can’t be one of the bachelorettes.” Tessa sits back further on his desk and folds her arms, wiggling her ass a little to emphasize that she’s not moving from that spot until he agrees.

Scott watches her shift around and then glares at her, “So you want me to humiliate myself instead?”

“Scott, you’re great with people. Funny, charming, charismatic, and quite good looking when you aren’t giving me that face you’re pulling right now.”

"Thanks.” His voice is completely deadpan as he twists his face into something even more tortured, but she can tell by the twitch at the corner of his mouth that he’s softening up thanks to her compliments.

“I’m serious. Any woman would be lucky to go on a date with you. You’ll easily be the most sought after man there. All you’ll have to do is teach some woman a crash course on financial planning and that’s it. Easy-peasy.”

"Financial planning?” Scott sits back, affronted, “That’s the best date you think I can come up with?”

“That’s all I see you do at work,” Tessa teases, reaching out and gently flicking his ear, “And your Fridays are spent watching movies with me and I’d really rather not invite some strange woman to join us, so yes?”

“I’m insulted. I can do much better than that.”

She’s got him where she wants him now. He never could back down to a challenge, and this seems like a point he’s determined to prove.

"Then prove it and sign up.”

“Fine!” Scott throws his hands out in defeat, definitely smacking her knees on purpose in the process, and Tessa laughs. “I will. But you owe me, Virtch. Movie night picks for the next three months.”

“Next two months,” Tessa counter-offers, sticking out her hand to make the deal, and Scott shakes it firmly.

“Done.”

“Don’t forget to wear a tux,” She hops off his desk and calls out over her shoulder in a sing-song voice, “And leave the hair gel at home.”

Scott’s muttered cursing accompanies her back to her own office, and Tessa can’t get the smile off her face for the rest of the day.

Now not only will the auction be fun and raise money for a good cause, but she gets to watch Scott squirm a bit on stage before having Midori swoop in and rescue him. (She’d never _really_  leave him alone to fend for himself against whatever women might bid on him, but he doesn’t need to know that quite yet.)

This is already shaping up to be the best event of the year.           

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm really excited for the next few chapters, guys. I think you're really going to like them. <3


	11. Chapter Eleven

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The charity auction.

** lights, camera, auction! **

****

The room is buzzing with excitement. They’d had over a hundred guests confirm within hours of receiving e-vites to the auction, and another hundred in the days that followed. They’d also managed to get twenty-one men and nine women to volunteer to be auctioned off, which, if they can get at least a thousand dollars per person, will be a pretty tidy sum for the Make-A-Wish Foundation. Not to mention the individual donation cards placed at every single plate.

The venue is perfect – classy and romantic, the dinner menu sublime, and a Michael Bublé tribute band, Bublé Baths, is crooning in the corner. It’s a terrible band name, but they’re actually pretty good, and the romantic notes of _Crazy Love_ are going a long way to set the mood.

“I’ll admit, as much as I’m dreading what’s going to happen later, this is pretty impressive.” Scott steals a couple of croutons from her plate and Tessa’s too happy with how the evening is going so far to even pretend to scold him.

“Isn’t it? We’re going to raise so much money tonight.”

"So much that I don’t need to be auctioned off?” He asks hopefully, and Tessa affectionately rolls her eyes.

He’s been trying various ways to get out of this for the last two weeks, but she’s holding firm. Besides, it’s too late for him to back out now. He’s in the catalogue – they can’t disappoint their guests by withdrawing him at the last second, now can they?

Plus, she’s already texted both Danny and Charlie and promised them plenty of pictures and videos for their entertainment. What kind of sister-in-law would she be if she went back against her word?

“Can I bid on myself, then?”

“And what – go on a date with your right hand? Or would you prefer the left?” The sentence is hardly out of her mouth before she’s laughing at her own joke, and Scott looks back at her with a mixture of humor and horror – the tips of his ears turning red.

“Tessa Virtue, I can’t believe you just said that.”

“Are you telling me to get a grip?” She barely manages to stop laughing long enough to cock her head and give him a tongue-touched smile, and she’s still giggling when Midori and Alex join them, her shoulders shaking uncontrollably while Scott tries not to laugh. He doesn’t last long though – her laughter proving to be too infectious – and Midori looks at them both like they’ve completely lost their marbles.

“What are you two laughing about? Do you need a hand getting yourselves under control?” She’s being sarcastic, completely oblivious to the double-entendre, but her comment just sets off another round of giggles and Tessa falls into Scott’s side – her eyes scrunched tight as she tries to calm down.

“You two are ridiculous. Are you drunk already?”

“We’re sorry, Midori,” Tessa accidentally snorts while trying to stifle her laughter and that sets Scott off again – taking his turn to bury his face in her shoulder, “Sometimes it’s just hard to stop once you’ve started, you know?”

He groans against her bare skin, his breath tickling her collarbone, and Tessa giggles again. She’d blame the wine if she could, but mostly she’s just riding high on the thrill of another job well done and the company of her best friend.

“I swear you two are like children sometimes.” Midori doesn’t sound annoyed though, just lovingly exasperated, and Tessa grins at her.

“Thank heavens we’re not, otherwise how could I plan your bachelorette party?”

“Are you sure you still want to do that? I know you’re busy with your new charity events and planning my wedding. It’s a lot to take on and it's coming up fast.”

"Of course I do! I’m the maid of honor and I take that very seriously.” Tessa sits up straighter, forcing Scott to lift his head, but he keeps his hand cupped around her opposite shoulder. The weight of it nice and comforting. She leans in a little closer to his side and in return Scott slides his hand up higher and massages the base of her neck with his thumb. “It’s going to be the party of the century!”

“We could just have a nice brunch,” Midori suggests, her voice faltering when Tessa glares at her.

“No way. I mean, of course we can do brunch if you want to, I would love that, but we’re _also_ going clubbing.”

“I don’t want to be hungover on my wedding day.”

“Midori, would I ever let that happen?”

“I suppose not.”

“It’ll be fun. You’ll see.”

“What about us, Alex?” Scott leans forward, his chest pressed against her side as he talks to Alex across both women, “What’s the plan for your bachelor party?”

“I’m not sure yet. My brother is planning it and he tends to leave things to the last minute, but probably just drinks and pool at the bar. I don’t want to be hungover either.”

Midori laces her fingers with Alex’s and kisses him tenderly on the cheek, as if his statement is something to reward, and he turns his head to press a firm kiss to her lips. It’s disgustingly sweet, and for the first time Tessa feels a pang of jealousy at their casual intimacy. She’s never had that with any of her boyfriends.

Although if she had, she probably wouldn't be almost twenty-eight years old and still single.

“More wine, T?” Scott rubs his hand up and down her arm as if sensing her deflated spirits, and she appreciates the distraction.

“Yes, please.”

“You’ll have that someday,” He murmurs quietly while he pours, confirming her suspicion that he’d noticed the reason she’s upset. He's always been good at reading her. “Don’t worry.”

“Who’s worried?” She jokes, clinking her glass against his before taking a large swallow. Thirty seconds ago she was giddy and grinning and she wants to get back to that. She’s not sure why tonight of all nights Midori’s happiness feels exclusionary instead of something to be celebrated, but it’s bringing her down when it really shouldn’t.

“Maybe you _should_ have been the bachelorette tonight instead of me. Then your true love could bid on you.” His hand slides from her arm to tickle her ribs, and Tessa laughs and squirms away.

It was the perfect action to break her out of her funk, and she pretends to glare at him – following his lead and playing along, “And deprive you of this opportunity? Not a chance.”

“Hey, speaking of, do you think there’s something between Andrew and Kaitlyn?” Scott tilts his head in the direction of the pair in question, who are having what looks like an intense discussion in the corner across the room.

"What? No way,” Tessa shakes her head and huffs out a little laugh. The idea is ridiculous. Andrew and Kait? They don’t even seem to like each other as friends, even though they spent time together in Cambodia, let alone as anything more than that. She’s never seen them interact outside of work functions. And if he were interested in the blonde, why would he flirt with Tessa at every opportunity? That would just be rude and insensitive to both women.

“I just thought I felt a vibe - caught some secret looks or something between them every once in a while when they think no one is looking.”

“Secret looks?” Tessa arches her eyebrow at Scott with a snort, “No, trust me. There’s no way he’s into her.”

“And you’re sure about that because…” Scott trails off, his gaze dark and intense all of a sudden as he waits for her to answer, and she’s not entirely sure she likes how much he seems to care about this.

“Andrew would have told me.”

Scott rolls his eyes and leans away from her, his arm returning to the safety of his own lap, “Because you tell each other everything.”

“No. We don’t, but he wouldn’t – I don’t know, just trust me. It doesn’t make sense.” The idea is ludicrous, can’t Scott see that? Their behavior doesn’t add up.

“I do trust you, Tess, I’m just telling you what I saw.” Scott stabs at the steak that had replaced his salad, his shoulders weirdly tense all of a sudden.

“Well clearly you saw wrong.”

“Okay.”

“I have to go start the auction. Um, good luck, I guess, on your turn.”

“Thanks.”

Tessa stands up, but her eyes don’t leave the back of his head. Where did things go so wrong in the last sixty seconds? One moment they were laughing and having fun like usual, and the next things were tense and stilted in a way she _hates_ and isn’t used to experiencing with him.

It’s terrible when they’re arguing about something and he gives her the silent treatment, but usually she knows the reasons behind it. This time she hasn’t got a clue and it’s completely throwing her off balance.

Which is why she trips on the stairs leading up to the stage and nearly face-plants in front of two hundred people, saved only at the last minute by an elderly gentleman with quick reflexes.

She straightens her dress and walks towards the mic, trying to remember everything she knows about confidence and public speaking. Normally when she’s nervous she finds Scott’s face in the crowd, but she doubts that would help her now. Instead she’ll have to just hope that her nerves don’t get in the way of sounding professional and eloquent.

“Good evening everyone! On behalf of the Virtuous Lifestyle Group, I would like to thank you all so much for coming tonight to help us raise money for such an honorable cause. The Make-A-Wish Foundation does so much good for kids around the world, and tonight when you make your own wish for the perfect date, you’ll be helping a child receive their dream as well. Without further ado, it is my pleasure to introduce to you the head of the Toronto branch of the Make-A-Wish Foundation, Mr. Elvis Stojko!”

"Thank you, thank you!” Elvis jumps on the stage with more vim and vigor than a man his age has any right to possess, gripping Tessa’s hand in a firm handshake and taking the microphone away from her with a grin, “On behalf of the Make-A-Wish Foundation, I’d like to thank all of you for coming tonight, and Miss Tessa Virtue for organizing this event for us on such short notice. She really has made all of our wishes come true.”

There’s a round of applause and Tessa waves graciously before making her way quickly from the stage and back to her seat – leaving Elvis to run wild with his job as auctioneer and MC.

Scott’s seat is vacant when she returns, and she looks around to find him already lined up with the rest of the bachelors and bachelorettes. If he knows she’s looking for him, he doesn’t show it, and Tessa sinks into her chair with a frown.

"When life-changing wishes are granted, a wish effect occurs. The wish allows children battling critical illnesses to build the hope and strength they need to fight harder and see the impossible become possible. Research shows wishes can give these children a higher chance of survival. And, it’s why health professionals often use a wish as part of their treatment plan, because wishes can build compliance with care and potentially give their patients a better chance of reducing time spent in the hospital. There is nothing more powerful than a child's wish – that's the wish effect.” Elvis gets interrupted by another burst of applause and Tessa joins in, determined to still make the most of tonight and enjoy herself – despite whatever weird tiff she's got going on with Scott.

Maybe she can go over to his place tomorrow with a case of his favorite beer and figure out what she did wrong and apologize. Surely it can’t be anything too serious.

“So tonight we’d like to help make _your_ wishes come true by auctioning off dates with these incredibly eligible bachelors and bachelorettes. You can’t go wrong with any one of them folks, so feel free to bid and bid loud. And remember ladies and gentlemen, this is a fun, innocent, charity event. The dates have no obligation beyond the agreed upon appointment. It is expected that bachelors and bachelorettes will follow through on their dates. However, if they are made to feel uncomfortable or threatened at any time, they may end the date early. The comfort and safety of the auction participants is key.”

That had been a crucial part of the event, and everyone who wanted to bid was required to fill out a terms and conditions form to make sure they understood the rules. The last thing Tessa wants is anyone feeling uncomfortable because of an event that’s only supposed to do good.

They go through quite a few people before it gets to someone Tessa recognizes – Andrew strutting across the stage like a peacock in his well-tailored suit and shiny shoes that probably cost more than whatever someone will bid on him. He waves at her and she wiggles her fingers back, ignoring the way Midori glances at them both and smirks.

Elvis lifts the mic again and begins to introduce him, “Andrew Poje is thirty years old, he has an undergraduate degree in biomedical science from the University of Waterloo and recently returned from a humanitarian trip to Cambodia. He enjoys working out, loves classic movies, classic cartoons, and classic rock, and is a total foodie. If you win the bid on Andrew tonight, you will be treated to a culinary tour of Toronto including a stop at Paris, Paris - a wine bar for the ages.”

Immediately there are women jumping out of their seats to raise their paddles, and Tessa watches with no small amount of amusement as the price goes higher and higher.

He primps and preens for the audience as they keep upping their bids - even going to far as to blow a kiss in Kait’s direction. It’s probably just to get a rise out of her, but Tessa’s surprised when even Kait’s hand twitches briefly towards the paddle before she seems to think better of it. Maybe she isn’t as indifferent to his charms as Tessa thought, although she still thinks Scott is crazy for seeing anything romantic between them.

When Elvis shouts, “Going once!” Andrew looks towards Tessa with a clear challenge, but she just holds up her empty hands and shrugs. She’d told him repeatedly that she wouldn’t be bidding tonight and she’s not going to change her mind, even if she has wanted to try Paris, Paris for a while now.

In the end he’s won by a middle-aged woman for the not insignificant sum of eighteen hundred dollars – the most of anyone so far – and he seems satisfied with the result. The woman looks more likely to spend the whole night talking about her cats than trying to get up to no good, anyway, so it's guaranteed to be a harmless evening.

“Why didn’t you bid on him?” Midori bumps Tessa’s elbow with her own, bringing her attention back to her friend and looking at her over the rim of her wine glass with an arched eyebrow. “It seemed like he wanted you to.”

“It’s _because_ he wanted me to,” Tessa jokes and takes a sip of her own pinot grigio, the taste sweet and not too dry. It’s her third glass and she’s starting to feel pleasantly buzzed.

Midori makes an understanding hum and turns back towards the stage, “You’re playing hard to get.”    

A horrible spluttering sound erupts from Tessa’s mouth and she quickly snatches her napkin from the table to cover her face – pink blossoming on her cheeks as the people sitting around their table turn to stare at her and the ungodly noise she just made.

“I’m not,” She finally manages to gasp, placing a hand on her chest to help calm down her lungs, “I’m not playing hard to get. I’m not playing anything. We’re just friends.”

“Tess, if you’re holding back because he’s my cousin, don’t. I think you guys would be really cute together.”

“I don’t –“

“What do you make of that?” Midori gestures towards where Scott is chatting to Kait while he waits for his turn to go on stage. The two of them smile while Scott says something, then Kait throws her head back in laughter. “Do you think they’re rekindling their romance?”

Thankfully, this time the wine glass hadn’t reached her mouth yet, so Tessa is saved from another mortifying display. If it had been in her mouth she’d surely have sprayed it all over the table at Midori’s outrageous question. “Excuse me?”

What is it tonight that’s making all of her friends see things that aren’t there? _She’s_ supposed to be the matchmaker, not them, and yet they seem to have taken it upon themselves to make wildly inaccurate claims that keep nearly giving her heart attacks.

“I just wonder,” Midori hesitates, watching the pair closely, “He was the one who suggested hiring her and they did date once. I don’t remember why they broke up, and it looks like maybe they don’t either.”

“No,” Tessa shakes her head, refusing to give credence to Midori’s gossip on principle, “There’s no way. They didn’t have any chemistry.”

“Someone sent her that bouquet, and who else would have known it was her first day on the job besides him? We both know you didn’t send it.”

“Scott would never have sent her those flowers. He has more taste than that.”

“Are you sure? He has made some questionable choices before.”

“Are you talking about the cactus he bought me last year? That was actually really thoughtful. He knows I’m way too busy to keep regular plants alive.” She’s defensive of her little plants. She has no idea what kind they are, but they’re cute and he’d put them in little teacups to sit on her kitchen shelf at home and she loves them. He _does_ have taste, whatever Midori might think.

“But they’re not _pretty_ , is all I’m saying, so he could have bought that bouquet.”

“No way, Midori. There’s just no way.”

“I think your own bias is clouding your judgement. You don’t like Kait, but look at the way she’s put her hand on his arm.”

It’s true that Kait’s hand is resting on Scott’s forearm, and it’s also true that he’s making no effort to move it and doesn’t look at all bothered by the contact, but Tessa still refuses to see anything more than two friends having a conversation.

“Let’s just watch the auction. Gabby’s up next.”

Gabby walks onstage in a knee-length midnight blue dress with mesh sleeves. It fits her perfectly, and compliments her complexion well, and Tessa’s glad that she decided to accept when she asked her to be in the auction. She looks happy to be there, and Tessa knows she’s going to fetch a good price.

(Take that, Ryan Semple, wherever you are!)

“Gabriella Papadakis is the principle ballerina at the National Ballet of Canada in Toronto. Originally from Paris, famously referred to as the city of love,” Elvis winks at the audience, “She’s been enjoying getting to know Canada over the past few months. She’ll be making her debut in Swan Lake later this year. She is passionate about literature, theatre, and philosophy. A date with Gabby will include a private backstage tour of the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts and dinner at Alo where she will teach you some French. Ooh la la!”

A few rather plain and uninspiring men lift their paddles and Tessa begins to lose hope that this will be the great opportunity she was hoping for, but then an attractive man with a neatly trimmed beard raises his paddle.  

_Brett Rees_. She’s seen him at a few various events before, although she can’t say they’ve interacted much. She vaguely remembers him being some sort of entrepreneur. A self-made millionaire.

The way he bids is almost uncaring – a flick of the wrist that could mean he’s only bidding because he feels like he has to – but his eyes aren’t leaving Gabby’s and she’s blushing under his attention.

There’s definitely some chemistry there, Tessa can feel it, and the cogs in her brain are already whirring with the possibilities. If their first date goes well, she’ll have to make sure there’s another one. The perfect way to make up for the Gabby/Ryan fiasco would be helping Gabby find love with someone new, and this is exactly what she was hoping for.

“Sixteen-hundred,” Brett raises his paddle for the last time and Elvis announces “Sold!” and the smile Gabby gives him is practically radiant.

“Did you plan that?” Midori leans in to whisper, and Tessa bites her bottom lip and smiles.

“No, but it worked out rather well, don’t you think?”

“Tessa,” Midori drags out her name, half-laughing, half-scolding, “Are you up to something?”

“Not yet,” Tessa shoots back in a sing-song voice and Midori laughs.

“Now it’s time for our last bachelor of the night. Come up here, Scott!” Elvis throws his arm out to the side and Scott walks on stage doing some sort of dorky yet endearing dance move that the audience eats up.

She knew he’d be good at this, despite his protests. He has this sort of energy and passion that just draws people in. She wasn’t lying when she told him he’s charming and charismatic.

“Scott Moir is twenty-nine years old and is a championship-winning ballroom dancer who now works as a finance manager at The Virtuous Lifestyle Group – the company that so graciously agreed to host this event tonight. He enjoys hockey, is an avid Leafs fan, and loves red wine and jazz when cooking dinner,” Elvis reads off the cue card while Scott looks increasingly unsure what to do with himself now that he’s no longer walking, and Tessa snorts. He’d definitely added that last bit to class himself up after the hockey comments.

“A date with him includes dance lessons in whatever style you want, although he’s partial to the tango,” Elvis winks at the audience again and Tessa swears a few ladies nearly faint, “And dinner at Abruzzi.”

There’s a scramble as paddles start going up and she’s a little surprised when Kaetlyn’s paddle goes up third from her table at the side of the room – her shy voice offering three hundred dollars. Tessa didn’t even know she’d signed up to bid, but she must be trying to give him moral support, which is a sweet gesture. It’s cute, even if she does get immediately outbid.

The bidding moves fast, faster than Tessa expected, and it’s almost hard to keep up. There are a few younger women, some elderly women who probably just want a night of dancing, and a local radio host – Johnny Weir all competing with each other.

(Danny and Charlie will especially get a kick out of that last one.)

Midori is as reliable as ever though, and dutifully raises her panel to outbid him, “Fifteen hundred dollars!”

Johnny shakes his head and sets his paddle down – indicating that he won’t go any higher - and Elvis starts to count. But before he can get to the end, another women – one that Tessa unfortunately recognizes - holds up her panel.

“Sixteen hundred!”

Eve Warwick. A recently divorced middle-aged woman whose response to her husband cheating on her has been bright red hair, botox, manicures, and tans – anything she thought would make herself look younger and more desirable. She’d come into the office to see Tessa every other week for six months after the divorce was finalized, but then stopped abruptly for apparently no reason. (Something Tessa had been grateful for, as she’d never liked the woman, or the way she looked at Scott every time she walked past his office wearing increasingly shorter skirts.)

“Seventeen hundred!” Midori counterbids, and Tessa smiles to herself. There’s no way Eve will go higher than that. Andrew is still the highest bid and to top that would be insane. Sure, they’re raising money for charity, but it’s only one date!

“Nineteen-hundred!” Eve raises her paddle again, number sixty-nine, of course, and Tessa’s mouth falls open in shock. It’s clear her strategy was to wait until most of the other women had reached their personal maximum bids before jumping in, trying to ensure a quick, ruthless victory. It’s Machiavellian, is what it is, and now that she’s thinking about it she can see the resemblance to the famous political philosopher. Pointed chin, sharp nose, close-set dark eyes, and completely unscrupulous personality.

“That’s too much for me, Tess,” Midori sets her paddle down on the table in front of her and shrugs without remorse, either not knowing or caring that she’s leaving Scott to the clutches of such a woman. “But I’m sure Scott will be fine with that lady, even if she does seem… a bit fiery.”

Tessa can do nothing but watch helplessly, her eyes fixed on the black number seventeen on Midori’s paddle as if she can force it to fly up and bid on its own just out of sheer desperation.

“Going once,” Mr. Stojko raises his gavel, his voice booming through the microphone, “Going twice…”

A wicked smile spreads across Eve’s face, and Tessa’s stomach lurches.

“Two thousand!”

The smile on the other woman’s face drops and Tessa sighs in relief. _Crisis averted._

It takes Scott looking at her in delighted surprise for her to realize that the voice of the new bidder was her own.

"What are you doing?” Midori hisses, tugging on the paddle that Tessa had apparently picked up at some point and raised high in the air.

She’s trying to pull it free and the rational part of Tessa’s brain says she should let her, but her hand only grips the wooden handle tighter and moves it away from Midori’s clutching fingers.

“Two thousand-five hundred,” Eve’s voice is laced with venom now and the phrase _if looks could kill_ pops into Tessa’s mind. There’s an open challenge in her gaze and Tessa sits up a little straighter.

_Oh no you don’t!_

“Three!” Tessa shouts again, raising her paddle up high where it can’t be missed. As if anyone could miss how loud her voice is.

Some part of her is dying of mortification right now, but she’ll worry about resuscitating it later. Right now she’s determined to do whatever it takes to prevent that woman from getting her claws into Scott. She’s certain Eve views the consent form as merely guidelines, not strict rules to be observed.

“Four!” Eve is shouting now, and it’s incredibly gratifying to watch her lose her cool. Like watching electrical sparks flying from a downed powerline.

“Ladies, ladies,” Elvis laughs, smiling at the audience like they’re sharing a joke with him about this ridiculous situation and encouraging them to laugh too, “Slow down and let me do my job. I’m not sure you quite understand how this is supposed to work. You only need to up your bids by one hundred dollars at a time –“

“Six!” Tessa’s voice leaves her along with the rest of her reason.

She can’t bear to look at Scott, who just from the way he’s standing she knows is feeling incredibly smug right now. Tonight was supposed to be a harmless prank on him, but somehow she’s the one who’s going to end up getting teased about this by both of their families until the end of time.

"Six thousand-five hundred,” Eve’s voice wavers on the last syllable. It’s tiny, but it’s enough. She looks nervous now, and Tessa can sense her resolve weakening. There’s no way she can afford to go much higher.

So she goes in for the kill.

“Eight thousand dollars!”

There are several shocked gasps and the audience is alive with the buzz of gossip and speculation and Eve’s face has gone as red as her hair in a fit of rage, but Tessa just beams back at her.

_Ha! Get out of here and leave him alone!_

“Any other takers?” Elvis asks tentatively, slowly holding up his gavel like he’s nervous to step in. “Eight thousand going once…”

Eve throws her paddle to the floor where it snaps it half – making a noise of disgust that echoes around the room as she stomps away, and the magnitude of what she’s just done begins to settle on Tessa.

It’s insane. She’s just spent over four times as much as what any of the other bachelors or bachelorettes had been bought for bidding on her business partner. Her only consolation is that at least the money will be benefiting a good cause, because otherwise she’d never be able to show her face in public, or at the office, again.

“Eight thousand going twice. Sold to Miss Tessa Virtue! Let’s have a big round of applause for that one! That concludes our auction ladies and gentlemen, please enjoy your desserts, feel free to dance, and for you lucky winners – now’s the time to start getting to know your dates!”

_Oh my god,_ she thinks with dawning horror, _what have I done!?_

Midori’s hand finds hers and tugs, and Tessa falls more than sits in the chair she’d apparently vacated sometime between five and six thousand dollars.

"Tessa, do you know what people are going to think now?”

“Oh god,” Tessa groans, burying her face in her hands, “I wasn’t thinking about that.”

"Then what _were_  you thinking about?” Alex leans in over Midori to ask with open curiosity. There’s nothing judgmental in his tone, but it makes Tessa feel worse all the same.

“Not letting that woman win, of course.”

“Because?” Midori presses and Tessa lifts her head up to answer her – latching onto the first thing that comes to mind.

“Because I know her and she’s a vulture. I couldn’t let her win Scott – I’d never forgive myself.”

“You don’t think Scott could handle her?” Alex laughs, already moving onto the cheesecake in front of him. No doubt this is nothing but mild entertainment for him. “I’m sure she’s not completely evil.”

"No, I’m sure he could, I just… didn’t want him to have to.”

The look Midori gives her makes her squirm uncomfortably. There’s something a little too calculating – like she’s been trying to work out a major equation and the pieces are starting to fall into the place.

Tessa doesn’t like it.

“I’m going to go talk to the caterers. There’s supposed to be fruit with the cake.”

She jumps out of her chair and walks away as quickly as her heels will carry her. She catches a glimpse of Scott headed in her direction so she swerves and makes a beeline for the bathroom instead. He can’t follow her in there, and if she stretches it out she can hide for at least fifteen minutes.

          

When she pokes her head out twenty minutes later, she can see Scott waiting for her at the end of the hall – caught up in a conversation with one of their investors – and Tessa slips back inside the bathroom in a panic.

She’s not ready to talk to him about this. Twenty minutes of trying to come up with a reasonable excuse and she’s no closer to having something to say to him than she was before other than "Oops! Isn't this a funny mix-up?"

Thankfully, there’s another door on the opposite wall that leads to a different hallway, and Tessa sneaks out through that – heading towards the kitchen (she was serious about talking to the caterers) and far away from Scott.

 

She successfully manages to avoid him until most of their guests have gone and the venue crew is starting to clean up, and she assumes he’s given up and gone home so she doesn’t bother looking around before walking back into the main room to make sure nothing’s been accidentally left behind by anyone.

“Tessa, there you are,” Elvis jogs up to her and sweeps her up in a big hug, “I'm glad I caught you before I left. Tonight was fantastic, thank you! We’re going to help so many kids with this money.”

“I’m glad to hear it, Mr. Stojko.”

“Please, call me Elvis. I hope we can work together again in the future.”

“I hope so, too,” Tessa grins and returns his jaunty wave as he heads back to his wife’s side and takes her hand, leading her out of the venue with a spring in his step.

It’s so nice to see him happy that for a minute Tessa forgets what she was doing, not bothering to check her surroundings as she heads down the hallway towards the coat check room to retrieve her jacket and purse.

“Scott!” She jumps in surprise, her heart leaping into her throat and then plummeting to her feet when he comes out of the very room in question, “I thought you’d gone home.”

"Why? Avoiding me, Virtch?” He hands her her purse and jacket with a smirk, and Tessa gulps.

“No. I was just making sure everything got cleaned up properly.”

“You know,” He starts, slipping his hands into his pockets and leaning up against the wall with what can only be described as a shit-eating grin on his face, “If you wanted to go on a date with me, T, you could have just asked instead of spending so much money.”

“I was making a very generous charitable donation,” She turns up her nose and tries to step around him, but he pushes off the wall and blocks her path.

“Are you sure it had nothing to do with Eve Warwick?”

“Scott,” Tessa puts her hands on her hips and looks at him sternly, “Are you suggesting that I was driven by pettiness and not the goodness of my heart?”

He grins even wider and doesn’t say anything – the implication clear – so Tessa slugs his shoulder for lack of any other defense.

“Ow!” He rubs at the spot and chuckles, “Okay, okay, I’ll let you believe that your motives were entirely pure.”

“They were!”

“Eve tried to bid on Mike Pruitt, too, but I didn’t see you rushing to his defense.”

_Shit._ She hadn’t even noticed that and now her argument is looking flimsier than tissue paper. She’ll have to try a different tactic.

“Can’t a girl do something nice for her friend?”

“Something nice would be replacing my colander you broke last week, not spending thousands of dollars for me to take you dancing. I’ve got my work cut out for me now to make this date worth it. Are you expecting me to put out?”

“Scott!” She swats his chest much harder than she’d hit his arm and her face floods with color.

How could he – or they – why – she wouldn’t ever – it hadn’t even crossed her mind!

Okay, yes, there is that pesky issue of her never having seen him naked and still being curious about it, but she isn’t about to mention that! Especially when discussing plans for a date she paid so much money for. He might feel like he has to say yes, and that would be taking advantage of him and wrong!

They’re just friends, for Pete’s sake! That's all they've ever been!

Everything is going topsy-turvy faster than she can keep up with and it’s giving her a headache. The only thing she can think is _retreat, retreat, retreat!_

“We’re not going on a date!” There. Problem solved. Crisis averted. This doesn’t have to be an issue.

“Um, yes we are,” Scott looks at her like she’s being crazy, and given the way she can hardly look at him – her eyes darting around from object to object - she’s not exactly certain he’s not wrong. “That was literally the exact thing you were bidding on.”

“Yeah, but I was just trying to win – I mean donate,” She corrects herself before he can make a point of her nearly admitting her true motivations, but she can tell from the gleam in his eye that he picked up on it. “We don’t actually have to go through with it.”

“It was a binding contract. You heard Mr. Stojko at the beginning. I’m contractually obligated to take you out.”

“Can’t we just do a double-feature movie night and count that?” She asks desperately, trying to bring the world back to normal again.

"I’m trying really hard not to be offended here, kiddo. What’s a guy supposed to think? You bid a lot of money, seem determined to win me, then try to back out of your end of the bargain at the first chance.” He tries to pout, but it doesn’t last long – his lips curving back up into a smile in no time.

He’s getting way too much enjoyment out of this.

“No, no. It’s not about you. Dates are just stilted and awkward and you and I already know everything about each other.” Joking or not, she can’t stand the idea of Scott thinking it’s him she’s opposed to. It’s not about him, it’s just that this isn’t _them_. They don’t do _dates_.

“Not our date,” Scott replies confidently, “Ours will be epic. Let me prove it to you.”

“Scott,” Tessa shakes her head, “You really don’t have to.”

“Tess, I really do.” He insists, and she can tell he isn’t going to back down on this one. For whatever reason, he’s taking his contract as a bachelor seriously.

It’s not as if they’ll legally pursue him if he doesn’t take her out, but Tessa sighs and gives in anyway. “Alright, fine. You can take me on a date.”

“Awesome.” He perks up, looking pleased with himself, “Wednesday night. I’ll pick you up at six.”

“That’s my birthday.”

“I know.”

Scott grins and helps her put on her jacket before tugging her arm in his and leading her out towards the parking lot. He's on cloud nine, probably already coming up with a million and one ways to tease her about this forever, meanwhile Tessa feels like she’s just been told the sky is purple and _she’s_ the one who’s crazy for thinking it was blue the whole time.

_What on earth just happened?_

 


	12. Chapter Twelve

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tessa and Scott go on their date.

** it takes two to tango **

****

 

What do you wear on a nearly $10,000 platonic date with your best friend?

That's the question that has been plaguing Tessa all day. She even left work a few hours early so that she’d have plenty of time to raid her closet and try to answer it, but she’s not any closer than she was before.

She knows it’s supposed to be dinner and dancing, but hip hop is very different from the waltz and if they’re doing something more athletic she’d rather be in a sports bra and leggings than a ballgown. But if they’ll be dancing to something more classical then she’ll definitely need a dress and heels.

Tessa wanders over to her chest of drawers dedicated to work out clothes (she might have a bit of an Adidas addiction) and starts rifling through the stacks of fabric, pulling out her favorite pieces that she knows make her look good. Not that looking good should be an issue when working out, but this _is_ kind of a date.

She's halfway through putting together an outfit when she remembers the auctioneer also said Scott was planning dinner at Abruzzi, which means a bra and leggings is _definitely_ not appropriate. Tossing the spandex back in the drawer with a frustrated huff, she circles back around to her walk-in closet to pilfer through the many dresses she has hanging there.

There are so many options in every color of the rainbow. Tight skirts and floor-length gowns and funky one-shoulder cocktail dresses with ruffles, but in the end she goes with a knee-length pale pink dress with a flowy skirt that will look beautiful swirling around her legs as she dances.

At first glance the dress is simple, but some strategic cutouts and folds in the bodice and long mesh sleeves keep it interesting. It’s not too bold, but not too bland, and just sexy enough to make her feel good, without embarrassing herself in front of Scott. Somehow she doesn’t think he’d appreciate it if she wore something with a plunging neckline on a charity date.

With her outfit choice made, Tessa heads into her en suite and pulls her hair back into a twisty, complicated ponytail before setting to work carefully applying her make-up. The steady, methodical process helping her avoid obsessing over what's about to happen.

There’s a steadily growing ball of anxiety low in her stomach that gets bigger with every tick of the minute hand on the clock, and she hates it. This is Scott. Scott her best friend for most of her life, dance partner, and business partner. She knows that he always picks rock during games of rock, paper, scissors, how he cuts his steak (even squares, all cut up before he starts eating), the way he balls his socks up before tossing them in his hamper, his preference for savory over sweet treats, and that he secretly loves nineties rap.

Going out to dinner with him shouldn’t be a big deal. They’ve eaten thousands of meals together and literally made a career out of dancing together, so tonight shouldn’t feel any different, but for some reason that she can’t understand, it _does_ , and it’s making her nervous.

Nervous! About spending time with _Scott!_

It’s absurd.

The doorbell rings just as she’s applying the last of her mascara and Tessa smacks her lips together and checks her teeth for lipstick before hitting the light and heading downstairs to greet him – pausing at the foot of the stairs to remember every breathing technique she’s ever been taught. 

“Geburtstag to the Virtch-dog!” Scott announces the second she swings the door open, holding up the most gorgeous bouquet of pink peonies she’s ever seen and presenting them proudly to her.

“Thank you,” She giggles, feeling her stomach relax a little now that he’s here and not just a hypothetical, “What does that mean?”

She steps aside so that he can enter and tilts her cheek when he leans in to give her his customary peck, and her body relaxes even further. Sure, the flowers are new, but the rest of this is normal. They can do this. It doesn’t have to be weird.

“It means happy birthday in German. Well, kind of.” He sets the flowers down on the center of her coffee table and Tessa takes a moment to appreciate his outfit while he's distracted. A navy button-down shirt and black jeans that hug him just right. Their outfits couldn’t complement each other better if they’d planned it. “The real translation was a bit beyond my skill level.”

“I didn’t know you had a skill level in German.”’

“See?” Scott steps back to double-check his arrangement, satisfied with the way the flowers look now, and grins at her, “We’re already learning new things about each other tonight. Peonies are still your favorite flower though, right?”

“Right,” Tessa smiles softly, touched that he’d remembered, and something other than anxiety flutters briefly inside her. He’s always so thoughtful and yet it always seems to surprise her.

“Are you ready to go or did you need to grab anything first? You look beautiful, by the way. I should have said it when I first saw you, but the vase was heavy.” His eyes trace up and down her body appreciatively and Tessa floods with warmth. It’s nice to know all that agony over her wardrobe wasn’t for nothing.

“Thank you,” She blushes, suddenly unsure what to do with her arms, and she ends up gesturing sort of spasmodically towards him, “You look very handsome. Is that a new shirt?”

It's not fair how perfectly calm he is while her brain and body seem to have completely forgotten the basics of human interaction. 

Scott laughs and nods, “It’s a little freaky that you know my wardrobe so well, but yes, it is.”  

“It's not hard to know your wardrobe when there's so little variety in it," She teases, feeling slightly more like herself with the joke, "I like it. You should dress up more often.”

“Anything for you kiddo,” He says and she starts to smile, but then he winks, “Anything but that.”

“You and your love of t-shirts and sweats,” Tessa rolls her eyes in exasperation and Scott chuckles, his hand finding hers and leading her towards the front door.

Is her hand sweaty? God, she hopes it isn't. She should have checked before letting him take it. Now all she can do is pray he doesn't notice.

“Come on, we’re going to be late.”

“Are we really going dancing, then? I wasn’t sure.”

“Of course,” Scott waits patiently while she locks up then tugs on the door once for her for good measure to make sure it’s shut tight, “That’s what I promised.”

“I didn’t know if you’d change your mind now that it’s me you’re going with, since we’ve already done so much dancing together.”

“There’s no one I’d rather dance with than you, Tess.” Scott smiles affectionately, his brown eyes appearing darker and warmer in the orange glow of the sunset, and that fluttering feeling in her stomach comes back at full force.

It takes her so completely by surprise that she trips getting into his Acura, and if it weren’t for Scott’s quick reflexes she’d have landed flat on her ass. Instead his arm wraps around her waist, the other clutching her elbow, saving her from complete mortification, and Tessa wants to die a little inside. What is with her tonight? 

“You okay there, T? Are you going to be able to stay upright on the dance floor?”

“Oh ha, ha, ha.” She shrugs him off and climbs into the car, ducking her head to hide her burning cheeks.

Scott turns on the radio while they drive, fiddling with the controls until he finds a country station wailing about trucks and dogs and lost loves, and Tessa groans loudly.

"Not country music, please." 

"My car, my rules," Scott states bluntly like he  _always_ does when they drive anywhere in his car, "Deal with it."

_When you put two and two together_

_You figure out love's got four letters_

_I shoulda known that when I met her_

_But she had to spell it out for me_

"It's too cheesy!" Tessa complains loudly, but when Scott ignores her instead of giving her what she wants, she leans forward and breaks the cardinal rule by switching the dial.

Pink! starts asking  _So What?_ at top volume and Scott slaps her hand away with a glare, punching the buttons again until a different country song is playing. "Don't try that again." 

"Or what?" She sasses. It's fun getting him riled up, and the more they banter the less nervous she feels, so she switches the station again. This time it's a peppy pop song, and Tessa immediately starts dancing along.   

"No!" Scott switches it back and as soon as Tessa dives for the controls again he grabs her hand and laces their fingers together - tugging it into his lap and holding on tight so that she can't pull it free.  

“Scott, come on! Let go," She tries to get him to loosen his grip, but it's to no avail. She's stuck and he seems way too happy about it. 

“Nope! This is your fault. You can’t be trusted.”

“So you’re going to hold my hand hostage?”

“Yep!” He grins and she sags back into her seat to sulk, the effect somewhat ruined by her inability to cross her arms over her chest like she wants.  

After a few blocks Scott seems to grow uncomfortable with her silence, and she expects him to free her hand and give in to her demands, but instead he says, “So, Tessa, tell me something about yourself." 

“Scott,” She groans, he's not going to distract her from the issue _literally_ at hand, “You already know everything about me.”

“This is supposed to be a first date. Play along.”

“Fine." She rolls her eyes and sits up a little straighter, twisting their combined hands a bit so that it's more comfortable, "I’m the youngest of four, my parents are divorced, I’ve lived in London my whole life, but I used to travel quite a bit when I was a competitive dancer –“

“No, something I don’t know,” Scott interrupts her with a laugh, his thumb stroking back and forth across the back of her hand. It's harmless, something she's not even sure he knows he's doing, but for some reason it distracts her from her goal of changing the music and she answers him honestly.

“When I was fourteen I seriously considered quitting ballroom to become a model.”

“What?" He glances away from the road briefly to look at her in shock, "You did!? Why didn’t you tell me?”

“I got turned down at my first audition, so it didn’t seem relevant. They told me I wasn't tall enough, which was annoying because for years everyone had been so worried I'd outgrow you." 

“That’s why you threw out all of those boxes of magazines. You said it was spring cleaning.”

“Well, it kind of was.”

“T, it was August.”

“Spring into fall cleaning?” She jokingly asks, and Scott laughs. "Now you tell me something.”

“Um..." His ears start to turn red as he struggles to get the words out, "I’m the one who froze all your bras that summer when you were seventeen.”

"What!?” She rips her hand out of his and turns in her sit to face him, pointing an accusing finger at his face, "That was you?" 

“Charlie bet me a hundred bucks that I wouldn’t and I had to prove him wrong. I used that money to take you to Canada's Wonderland, if it helps.”

“So you snuck into my room, stole all of my bras, and _froze_ them?! And then took me to an amusement park to make up for it?”

It had actually been a really fun day, as she recalls, and the incident with her bras had been quickly forgotten, but now the memory is tainted by the knowledge that it was him all along. 

“It was a harmless prank. It’s not like you really needed them.”

“ _Excuse_ me?”

“That came out wrong –“

“Are you insulting the size of my –“’

“No! You have great – I mean, they’re perfect – I – you – I just meant you mostly wore sports bras back then. I didn’t mean anything bad about your… chest area. It’s a great chest area!”

She tries to stay stern, she really does, but laughter erupts out of her anyway, loud and uncontrollable, in response to his panicked word vomit.

“Chest area,” She snickers, wiping the tears away from the corners of her eyes, laughing harder at the deep shade of red crawling down Scott's neck as he avoids looking at her. "I forgive you. It seems too cruel to stay angry after  _that_ spectacular display." 

"I am never speaking out loud again." 

"Aww, but then how would I know how you feel about my chest area?" She can't help torturing him a little and she starts to laugh again until Scott parks the car and clamps his hand down over her mouth.

" _Tess-a_ ," He whines, "Can we just go dancing now, please? And maybe never mention this ever again to anyone?" 

"I promise I'll keep your secret," She snickers, climbing out of the car and taking a moment to observe their surroundings. 

He'd parked in front of a familiar brown brick building, the same one they'd spent years training at with Suzanne before she retired and it was bought by a young French-Canadian named Samuel Chouinard. They'd become friends with Sam over the past few years (Tessa moreso than Scott, as she still likes to come here to dance frequently), and it's a relief knowing they'll be in a familiar place tonight with a friend as their teacher. 

"Sam's teaching an advanced tango class tonight and I thought we could join, if that's okay?" Scott holds the door open for her and guides her inside with a hand gently resting on the small of her back, and Tessa looks up to smile at him.

"Absolutely. I'm glad you picked this place instead of some random studio or a fancy place in Toronto."

"What's this? You do not think I am fancy?" Sam greets her with two kisses on each cheek and a smile and Tessa laughs.

"Non, je pense que tu es parfait." 

Sam hugs her and compliments her French before turning to greet a group of other students that had just walked in, and Scott mutters in her ear, "Show off." 

"I'd be happy to teach you." 

He drops his head to her shoulder with a thunk and starts loudly fake-snoring, and Tessa shoves him off with a laugh.

Sam makes his way to the front of the room and claps his hands together to get everyone's attention. "Bonjour à tous! Welcome to our tango class this evening. I'm glad you could make it. Most of you are here as part of the dance program at Western, but if you're not please know that I am happy to have you and to answer any questions that you have as we go along." 

Tessa tries to pay attention, she really does, but the longer she stands in one place the more uncomfortable she is. Shifting back and forth and lifting one foot at a time does little to alleviate the problem, and she's beginning to worry the night might be over before its begun. 

“What’s wrong?” Scott asks out of the corner of his mouth, trying not to interrupt Sam while he talks about the more advanced steps of the tango to the rest of the class.

“These shoes pinch. I knew I shouldn’t have worn them, but they were new and cute.”

“Just take them off then.”

“And get trampled? No, thank you.”

“I’ll take mine off too. Dancing barefoot is more fun, anyway.”

Sam gestures for the class to get into position, and Scott slips his shoes off and kicks them aside as he turns towards her and takes her hands in his. “Here, stand on my feet and I’ll keep you safe from any wayward dancers.”

Normally she’d roll her eyes and say no, but he’s smiling so earnestly and wiggling his toes like an eager kid, so she gives in – taking her shoes off as well and placing them neatly next to his, laughing when he sweeps her up and starts waltzing.

Scott moves both his arms around her waist to keep her steady, so Tessa wraps her arms around his neck in return – pressing them together from shin to shoulder. She throws her head back and laughs while he spins and spins and spins, making the room turn into a swirl of colors. He nearly stumbles a few times, but it only makes them both laugh harder, and Tessa can’t remember the last time she cut loose like this and had some carefree fun. Leave it to Scott to know exactly what she needs, even before she does.

“Ahem,” The sound of Sam pointedly clearing his throat brings them back to their surroundings with a jolt, and Tessa slips out of Scott’s arms with acute embarrassment. She’s never misbehaved in front of a teacher, even a teacher who’s really more of a good friend, and it’s mortifying to have the whole class staring at them as if they’d been doing something much worse than goofing off.

“Sorry, Sam,” Scott says, but he doesn’t sound sorry at all and Sam knows it, judging by the way he scoffs and mutters something in French that definitely doesn’t sound like forgiveness.

“I can’t believe you got us in trouble with Sam of all people,” Tessa slaps him lightly in the stomach and Scott catches her hand, using it to tug her into a more appropriate tango position.

"He’s not mad. Sam loves us.”

“He loves me. You I’m not so sure about.”

“Ouch! Guess I’ll have to be a model student for the rest of the class. Come on, my dance champion, let’s show ‘em how it’s done.”

Sam turns on the stereo and the sharp, staccato notes of _Así se baila el tango_ ring out loud and clear. The other students start to move, some more graceful than others. The women reach around the men from behind, placing their hands on their chests before sliding slowly around their bodies to where the men can wrap their arms around them and take a step, and Scott arches his eyebrow at her.

It’s an obvious challenge – questioning how much she remembers and daring her to compete with those around them all rolled into one expression – and Tessa takes the bait.

She always loved the tango. Loved the way it made her feel sensual and sexy and desirable. The intense expressions and the heat that naturally builds with the dance. And Scott’s always been the perfect partner. Even now his hand moves up her ribcage to her arm and out to her hand with a slow lingering movement that fits the song perfectly before jerking her hand towards his shoulder on one of the staccato beats. It’s clear he intends to take this seriously, too.

Her leg wraps repeatedly around his while they spin and twist and move, like muscle memory waking up after years of disuse, and Tessa grins when Scott leads her into a dip and they execute it perfectly – all the way out to the flick of her wrist.

It’s a pity that she’s not dressed right for this. There should be intricate lace and gold accents. Rich, burgundy silks and black velvet and charcoal eyes. Slick black hair and roses and sharp shoes. Not light pink and navy outfits suited more to a lyrical piece like Sam Smith and bare feet. Without the proper costumes it feels less like characters they’re embodying for a dance and more just them – just Tessa and Scott doing the thing they used to love most.

“Is this the kind of dancing you were planning for whoever won you?” Tessa asks breathlessly while Scott moves around her, running his nose across her shoulder and up her neck before they step forward again. Her skin breaks out in goosebumps and she shivers lightly at the contact.

“Of course not, but I knew you could handle it,” He smirks, their arms touching over their heads in an arch while they turn and their faces mere inches apart.  

She’s glad. Thinking of him teaching another woman the foxtrot or a basic box step is fine, but dancing like this? No, that’s something he should only ever do with her. They’ve trained for it, after all. Spent years of blood and sweat and tears on dance floors just like this together. It wouldn’t be right for him to tango with anyone else who couldn’t appreciate the hard work it took to make it seem so effortless.

Scott guides her into a simple spin lift, not nearly as complicated as the ones they used to do, but it still makes her laugh lightly and her stomach swoop. She’d forgotten how his arms could make her feel like she was flying.

His hand slips as he sets her down, fingers grazing her ass, and Tessa sucks in a gasp at the tingles that shoot through her body from that spot – trying to stay focused on the next steps and not the way she suddenly feels hot all over.

Screw flying, she’d forgotten the way the tango could feel more like intense foreplay sometimes than it does dancing.

_Not_ that it’s ever been that way with Scott, of course, because foreplay would imply that it comes before something – building up towards some sort of climax - and the most they’d ever done after dance practice was rush back to his or hers to watch Jeopardy together.

(Well, most of the time. Sometimes she’d ditched him to run home and touch herself or, when she was older, meet up with a boyfriend – work off that excess energy and arousal that desperately needed to go _somewhere –_ but that’s neither here nor there.)

She can sense a few of the other dance pairs getting distracted as they watch her and Scott, and she can’t blame them. She almost wishes Sam were recording this, just so she could shout _I told you so!_ at all of their siblings who like to joke that she and Scott have gone soft or lost their skill. As it is, she can see them in the mirrors lining one of the walls, and it's enough to make her proud.

“On me,” Scott murmurs, sensing her distraction, and Tessa follows the verbal cue like a reflex, her eyes finding his as she moves around him again in a complicated step sequence.

They continue dancing across the room, careful not to run into anyone, and when the music ends Scott pulls her out of the final dip and presses his forehead against hers. Giggles bubble up to the surface uncontained, bursting out of her, at the sheer delight of executing something so complicated so well, but Scott doesn’t join in like he used to.

“Do it,” He seems to breathe instead, chest heaving against hers and his hands gripping so tight it almost hurts. He’s looking down, but she can tell that his eyes are dark and his face intense.

_Do what?_ She wonders, trying to steady herself for a moment and using him for support. Her head feels lightheaded and dizzy and her body tingles with the exertion and the thrill. While he remains all serious and fierce, she feels herself floating like a glass of effervescent champagne.

“That was so much fun,” She says instead of asking what he meant, stepping out of his reach once she’s certain her body can stay upright on its own and heading over to the drinking fountain on the wall – expecting him to follow and pleased when he does.

"And to think you didn’t want to come.” He tickles her from behind just as she leans over the fountain and Tessa jerks and ends up shooting the water all over her cheek instead of in her mouth.

“Scott!” She whines, turning around to glare at him, and he is laughing then. No trace of the intense, passionate dancer he’d been only moments before. It’s both a relief and a disappointment all at once to see the character fade away so quickly.

“I told you I could plan a better date than giving financial advice.”

“I never should have doubted you," She agrees, stepping aside so he can get a drink of his own.

“You should just admit I’m right about everything from here on out.”

“Ha! Not a chance!”

“It’s nice to see you two dancing together again,” Sam interrupts them, pulling Tessa into a hug that she happily returns. “It’s been far too long. But you couldn’t tell by your dancing. It was superb.”

“Thank you,” Tessa blushes, glancing up at Scott who looks equally pleased by the praise. 

“Will you stay for another hour? My next class is advanced hip hop and I know how Tessa loves that.”

“We would, Sam, but we have dinner reservations.” Scott explains, and Tessa feels a pang of regret. She wants to go to dinner, of course, but they eat together all the time. It’s not nearly as fun as dancing, and the way she's feeling right now she could go for another three hours straight, let alone just one.

“Ah, I see,” Sam looks back and forth between them with a mischievous twinkle in his eye, “Don’t let me stop you then.”

There’s something about the way he pushes them out the door – like he’s more eager for them to go to dinner than they are – that Tessa wants to stop and ask him about. It’s weird and reeks of ulterior motives, but Scott doesn’t seem to notice it and so he doesn't give her the chance.

“You’re going to love Abruzzi, Tess,” He says eagerly as he slides into the driver’s seat after opening and closing her door for her, “They have the best grilled beef tenderloin and you’re going to die when you taste their s’mores.”

“They have _s’mores_ there?”

“Yes, but they’re so much more than that. Dark chocolate brownie, torched marshmallow crème, fudge sauce, vanilla gelato, graham crumble – it’ll be like heaven on a plate for you.”

It really does, and her mouth starts watering at just the thought of something so decadent. She wants to skip straight ahead to dessert. 

“That does sound amazing. How do you know all this? When did you eat there?”

“Suzanne mentioned wanting to try it so I went there with her and Kait two weeks ago.” He says it so nonchalantly that Tessa gapes at him, her mouth falling open at the casual admittance of guilt.  

“You’re taking me to the same place you took Kaitlyn Weaver?”

“You were invited to that dinner too, if you’ll recall," He replies, staying impressively calm in the face of her ire, "But I believe you told Kait you needed to, and I quote, ‘dust your blinds.’”

Okay, maybe she had excused herself from Kait's invitation, but she didn't know it included Scott. If she had, she definitely would have gone - if only to see why he and Kait (and Suzanne) keep getting dinner together.

“That was true! It had been way too long and I don’t know if you noticed earlier, but they’re spotless now.”

"I’m just saying, you could have come to dinner, but you didn’t. Don’t be mad.”

“Who’s mad?”

“Fine,” Scott sighs dramatically, “You can pick the radio station if it’ll make you happy.”

Perking up immediately, Tessa starts scrolling through his presets before finding something playing oldies rock that they can both enjoy, and Scott pretends to wail on the guitar while they’re stopped at a red light – making her laugh. 

Her phone starts to ring just as the light turns green, and Tessa ignores Scott’s frown and turns the music down so she can answer it, mouthing _it’s Jordan_ at him by way of an apology.

“Hey, Jo, what’s up?”

“Hey, listen, I’m sorry to bother you, but Charlie cracked his head while trying to fix the sink and I know he thinks it’s nothing, but I’m worried and I’d really feel better if he saw a doctor. Can you watch Emmaline for me while we get it checked out? I’d call Mom, but she’s in Ottawa on that business trip and we don’t have time to drive up to Ilderton and leave her with the Moirs. He’s got a pretty bad headache.”

“Of course!” Tessa agrees immediately, waving to get Scott’s attention and gesturing for him to turn right instead of left, “Scott and I will be there right away. Should we meet you at the hospital?”

Scott’s head spins towards her in alarm and Tessa covers the mouthpiece of her phone to quickly explain the situation, reassuring him that it's probably nothing.

“You’re with Scott?” Jordan asks, bringing Tessa’s attention back to her sister, “Are you still at the office?”

“No, we were on our way to dinner.”

“Oh of course. I forgot about that. I’m sorry to interrupt your date - and on your birthday, no less.”

“It’s just the charity thing," Tessa quickly dismisses her sister's concern. Clearly an injury is more important. "It’s not a big deal. We’ll be there in five.” And isn’t that what she’d been telling herself all day anyway? That it’s not a big deal? 

Tessa slides her phone back into her purse and places her hand on Scott’s knee. He's frowning deeply and she can't help but notice how tense he seems to be, so she starts rubbing circles into his thigh with her thumb to try and help him relax. He must be really worried about his brother.

“Charlie will be okay, Scott. All the Moirs are hard-headed. He’ll be fine,” She lightly teases him, and that seems to help a little.

“I know he will. I’m just sorry you won’t get your fancy s’mores now. You must be starving.”

"I am," Tessa agrees, her stomach rumbling loudly to prove her point and making them both chuckle, "Why don’t you stay after we get Emmaline and take her back to my house? We’ll order a pizza and make s’mores over the stove. They won’t be nearly as impressive, but it’ll be fun.”

“Do you want me to?”

“Of course! I always want your company.”

“Okay, then I will.” His hand leaves the steering wheel to find hers on his leg and he curls his fingers around hers, holding on tight. 

Figuring he must need the comfort, and not nearly as worried about sweaty palms as she was earlier, Tessa lets him hold it the rest of the way to the hospital.           

 

 

“I’m going to change real quick,” She announces as they walk into her house, Scott carrying Emmaline in behind her, “It’s hard to babysit in a dress. Be right back!”

“I’ll order the pizza,” Scott calls after her and Emmaline yells too in an effort to mimic her uncle. It’s adorable and Tessa giggles all the way to her bedroom.

She throws on her comfiest holey jeans and a long-sleeved baggy thermal tied at the waste before carefully hanging her dress back up in the closet, her fingers lingering on the silky fabric for a moment. It’s always going to carry good memories for her now, even if it wasn’t quite right for the tango, and her more sentimental side is tempted to hang it front and center so that it's the first thing she sees each morning.

Back downstairs, she finds Scott stretched out on the floor next to Emmaline, lifting her hips up and trying to encourage her to crawl.

“Come on, Ems, you can do it!”

Emmaline sways forwards and back before lurching and landing on her stomach, and Tessa laughs, catching the attention of both uncle and niece.

“She’s being stubborn about it,” Scott explains, moving the baby back into position to try again with no better luck than the first time.

“It’s probably because she’s too roly-poly to balance properly. Maybe she’ll be one of those babies that skips ahead to walking right away.”

“That would be so typical of a Virtue baby. Can’t do things in the proper order, always has to be the best.”

“We believe in striving for excellence, is that so wrong?” She grins and drops down onto the floor beside them, smiling even wider when Scott just rolls his eyes. She takes Emmaline from him so that she can bounce on her legs, and Scott sits back with a sigh.

“I give up. Walk if you must, Ems, and deprive your parents of adorable crawling videos.”

Almost to add insult to injury, Emmaline starts attempting a stepping motion (although Tessa knows it's entirely unintentional) and Scott slaps his forehead with his palm, making Tessa laugh. 

“Did you order the pizza?”

“Yes. It should be here in fifteen minutes. Do you think she’ll want to eat too?”

“The pizza? Scott, she’s too young.”

"Ha, ha, Virtch." He jabs her thigh and Tessa grins, "I meant will she need a bottle.”

“No idea. If she’s anything like her father and uncles she’ll definitely tell us when she’s hungry.”

“So Virtues are overachievers and Moirs are gluttons, that’s what you’re telling me? Little Emmaline Josephine Moir is destined to become a champion pie eater.”

“Oh my god,” Tessa laughs at the sudden imagery, her niece surrounded by giant men and a screaming carnival crowd as she packs away piece after piece, “Can you imagine Jordan at one of those cheering her on?”

“Not at all,” Scott shakes his head, laughing right along with her, “Jordan would be mortified and worried about her getting cherry filling on her clothes. Charlie, however, would be right there yelling, ‘That’s my girl!’”

“That’s quite a future your Uncle Scott has laid out for you, Emmaline,” Tessa turns the baby around so that she can talk to her and Emmaline gives her a gummy smile, “And all because you refused to crawl for him.”

The doorbell rings and Scott jumps up to answer it.

“There’s cash under the cookie jar in the kitchen,” Tessa calls after him, but Scott just shouts back, “You’re not paying!” like it’s an argument they’ve had many times, which it is.

“Your uncle is ridiculous, did you know that? Always so thoughtful and chivalrous. Unless we’re eating somewhere fancy and he wants a nice wine, then he’s all too happy to split the bill.”

“Are you telling lies about me?”

“Nope! I was telling her what a gentleman you are.”

“Uh huh,” He looks skeptical and she grins as innocently as she can, which only makes him shake his head. “Let's eat." 

 

 

After dinner Emmaline makes it  _very_ obvious that she's hungry, and Tessa assembles a bottle with a speed that she feels she should get some recognition for, given her relative lack of expertise, and hands it to Scott to feed her - propping her chin up on his shoulder so that she can still coo at the baby.

Emmaline makes adorable sounds around her bottle in response that both she and Scott mimic back to her, until ninety-percent of the way through her formula her face goes bright red and she emits the most terrible noise. 

“What was that?!” Tessa asks in horror, "Is she okay?" 

“Uh, T," Scott says slowly, pulling a face, "I think we have a situation on our hands… or possibly on my shirt.”

“Oh my god! I’m so sorry!” Tessa picks up Emmaline as carefully as she can, lifting her under her arms and holding her outstretched at a safe distance.

The little girl smiles, apparently entirely unbothered by what’s just transpired and actually seemingly _happier_ than she was before, even though where she’d been pressed against Scott is a huge brownish-green stain.

“Why are _you_ sorry? She’s the one that did it – the demon.” Scott stands up and grabs the hem of his shirt to pull the fabric away from his chest, trying to put some space between his body and the muck.

Emmaline smiles at him again and Scott tickles her feet with his free hand in retaliation, making her chunky little legs dance and her eyes sparkle as she laughs. It’s adorable, even if there is a rather rancid smell emanating from her tiny body.

“Don’t call her a demon,” Tessa chastises him, feeling that it’s her duty as an aunt to defend her niece. "It’s not like she can help where she has an accident."

“When she shits on you, you can decide what to call her.”

“Come on. Let’s go upstairs to my bathroom and give her a bath. We can put your shirt in the sink to rinse before throwing it in the wash.”

Scott wholeheartedly agrees with the plan and they head upstairs, Tessa continuing to keep the baby at arm’s length while walking straight to the tub to turn on the water.

Scott fiddles with the buttons of his shirt, trying not to touch the stain as he takes it off, while Tessa struggles getting Emmaline out of her onesie without getting the mess everywhere. It’s incredibly difficult, and she’s beginning to see her pristine white bathroom in a new light. It’s not exactly the best environment for having messy kids.

“I think I get why parents never have clean bathrooms.”

Scott laughs while running water over his shirt, and Tessa grimaces at the thought of the mess that was there running into her marble sink. “You don’t think babies do this all the time, do you?”

“I hope not,” She mutters, pinching the edge of Emmaline’s onesie and handing it over to him to rinse off as well.

“Me too. Otherwise when I’m a dad I’m buying plastic covers for everything – including my clothes.”

“Wouldn’t that be uncomfortable?”

“And this isn’t?” He holds up the clothes from the sink and makes a face and Tessa laughs.

“Good point.”

She checks the water one more time to make sure it isn’t too hot before carefully lifting Emmaline into it, but it seems the second the water touches her baby skin she becomes as slippery as an eel. Tessa has no idea what to hold onto or how tight without hurting her, but Emmaline squirms and wriggles and wants to play and Tessa’s terrified she’ll hurt herself if she lets go.

“Gah!” She shouts as Emmaline nearly slips free trying to reach for the washcloth for the third time in as many seconds.

“What’s wrong?”

“She’s so slippery! This is impossible.”

“How much water did you put in? She should be able to sit up by herself and play, as long as you keep a hand nearby to steady her when she needs it.”

“It’s up to her waist. Is that wrong?”

“T, babies only need an inch or two.” Scott unplugs the stopper and drains over half of the water while Emmaline watches with fascination.

“I didn’t know! I’m new at this.”

“You’re doing fine." He reassure her as he kneels down beside her on the floor, "You just have to remember not everyone likes to soak in luxurious bubble baths as much as you.”

“You’re a pro at this, it’s not fair.”

He's always so good with kids, nieces and nephews, the kids at their charity ballroom events, everybody! She won't deny that she's envious.

“Hardly, I’ve just had more practice, that’s all.”

“But you’re a guy and I’m a girl. Shouldn’t this just come naturally to me?”

“That’s very traditional gender roles of you, Virtch, I’m shocked,” He teases, bumping her shoulder with his own and Tessa groans.

“That’s not what I meant. I just thought it would be easier.”

“Well, you can’t cook either, so you’re O for two in the traditional gender roles department, if it makes you feel any better. Way to break barriers!” He holds up his hand for a high five, but he absolutely does not deserve it for that comment, so Tessa slaps the water instead – sending a splash careening into his face.

At first he just stares at her in offense, droplets of water falling one at a time from the tip of his nose, and Tessa rushes to apologize before this can devolve into something messy.

“I shouldn’t have done that. I’m sorry! Don’t do anything rash. There’s a baby here.”

“Oh, anything like this, you mean?”

He scoops up water in both hands and Tessa tries to dodge it, but she’s not quick enough and she ends up with it all dumping down the front of her shirt.

“That is war, Moir!”

“There’s a baby here!” He shouts back, trying to use her own defense, but it’s too late for that now – Tessa sends more water flying at him and Scott retaliates in kind, the two of them violently splashing each other back and forth. Even Emmaline joins in, following their example by cheerfully slapping the water and laughing when it gets in her face.

“Okay, truce! Truce,” Scott holds up his hands in defeat after a few minutes, his hair and shirt now both plastered to his body. Even his jeans haven’t made it through unscathed, and Tessa’s clothes haven’t fared any better. There’s more water on the two of them than in the tub now.

“Just for that, you can get Emma out of the tub. If she has another accident before her diaper’s on, then I want it to be on you.” Tessa states, climbing up off the floor and wringing out her shirt in the sink. 

“Rude!”

“I’m going to go get changed. Don’t forget to put lotion on her skin.” She grabs the bottle from her shelf and hands it to him, along with a clean towel, “It’s not baby stuff, but it’s super gentle.”

“And what am I supposed to do about this?” He gestures to his clothes with an arched eyebrow, and Tessa smirks.

She’s tempted to let him stew in his wet clothes for a while. It’s no less than he deserves for disparaging her cooking, but he gives her his best puppy-dog eyes from where he’s kneeling on the floor and her heart softens.

“I have some of your old sweats somewhere, I think, I’ll try to dig them out. I’m not sure if I have a shirt that will fit you though.”

“Whatever you have is fine, thanks, T.” Scott’s pout spreads into a smile that she can’t help but return – especially when he tickles Emmaline’s tummy while expertly putting on her diaper. The sight makes her own stomach do somersaults for some odd reason.

In her bedroom there’s a text from Jordan on her phone apologizing and saying that they’re going to be a little while longer at the hospital, and Tessa shoots back a message saying it’s fine before changing into her favorite pajama set and twisting her hair up into a messy bun.

She finds Scott’s sweatpants from Suzanne's dance school in the back of her closet - the result of too many shared suitcases over the years. She’s certain he still has her favorite Hall & Oates t-shirt somewhere, even if he denies it every time she asks.

“Here, trade me,” She walks back into the bathroom and hands him the sweats and takes Emmaline out of his arms, wrapping the little girl up in her fuzziest blanket since they don’t have a change of clothes for her.

Leaving Scott to change and take everything to the dryer, Tessa turns off all the lights in her room except for the lamp in the corner and starts to rock lightly from side to side. Warm and content after her bath, Emmaline only fights it for a moment before her head lands on Tessa’s shoulder, so Tessa does the first thing that comes to mind and starts to sing.

 

_Baby mine, don't you cry_

_Baby mine, dry your eyes_

_Rest your head close to my heart_

_Never to part_

_Baby of mine_

_Little one, when you play_

_Don't you mind what they say_

_Let those eyes sparkle and shine_

_Never a tear_

_Baby of mine_

_From your head to your toes (Baby mine)_

_You're so sweet, goodness knows (Baby mine)_

_You are so precious to me_

_Cute as can be_

_Baby of mine_

_Baby mine_

_Baby mine_

 

The last note fades as Emmaline takes a deep breath, her long, drawn-out sigh a sure sign that she’s fallen asleep.

“That was nice, Tess,” Scott whispers, coming up behind her and almost making her jump.

"Oh! Thanks,” She blushes, embarrassed to have been caught. She avoids singing in front of people whenever possible, if she can help it. (Unless it’s in the car, but car acoustics always make her sound better somehow). “It’s from Dumbo. My mom used to sing it to me when I was little because I love elephants.” Tessa turns around to face him as she talks and her jaw goes slack.

He’s shirtless. _Scott._ Scott is completely shirtless. Somehow she’d forgotten that not finding a big enough shirt for him would mean he’d have to go without. Without a _shirt_.

Her brain goes on the fritz, spitting and whirling uselessly as it tries to catalogue so much bare skin at once.

It’s ridiculous, really. It’s not like she hasn’t seen him shirtless before. She has – multiple times over the years – but never like this. Never in the dim, soft light of her bedroom, smelling like her lotion and babies, and looking at her so –

Tessa shakes her head and clamps her mouth shut.

_Scott is my friend, would you quit it!?_ She severely reprimands her brain. She’s been having to do that a lot lately where he’s concerned, and it’s starting to get a little ridiculous.

“Bed!” She blurts out, making Emmaline twitch in her sleep and clearly confusing Scott.

“What?” He gasps and jerks like he’d been under the same stupor she had, and Tessa stands up a little straighter and tries to make her voice resemble something close to normal.

“I thought it would be easier if we just stayed in here. It’s more comfortable and we can watch TV turned down low and Emmaline can sleep in the bed between us until Jordan gets here.”

“Okay, um, sure. If you’re okay with that.”

“Of course. Why wouldn’t I be?” Her voice is far too bright and cheery and she winces.

Of course it’s fine, she just never imagined that tonight would end with Scott in her bed, but it’s not a big deal at all.

They find a channel doing back to back reruns of FRIENDS and Tessa turns the sound down so that it’s barely audible and switches on the subtitles before flipping off the lamp – leaving the room bathed only in the flickering glow of the TV.

It’s quiet for a while, other than the occasional rustling of one of them shifting in the bed, and Tessa starts to relax. This doesn’t have to be weird – she was just freaking out over nothing.

“Hey, T?”

She looks over at Scott, finding him already on his side facing her, his eyelids blinking heavily as he struggles to smile at her. It makes something in her heart flip over.

“Yeah?”

“You’re gonna be a great mom.”

Heat floods from her chest out to her limbs and up into her cheeks, and she ducks her head – biting her bottom lip to keep her smile from becoming a ridiculous grin, “Thank you.”

“'Welcome.” His voice is barely a murmur and another glance at him tells her he’s gone – succumbed to the pull of sleep.

She’s tempted to follow him, but with a baby in the bed and her sister on her way at some point, she’d better not risk it. So she rises and props herself up against the fabric headboard, trying to pay attention to Monica and Chandler hooking up in London for the first time instead of the fuzzy feeling lingering in her body from Scott’s words.

Normally on nights where she can’t sleep she’d get up and do something productive – check the news, read a book, clean, do work – but the steady puffs of breath beside her are soothing and keep her from growing restless.

She’s definitely not ready to have kids yet, but she can’t deny the inherent tender sweetness of having a baby beside her, and the image she presents – all curls and cherub face – lying cuddled up next to Scott fills her with a sort of aching in her chest that she can’t quite identify.

She’s so glad he decided to stay. She probably could have done all of this without him and been fine, but it’s so much nicer having him here.

Her phone chimes with another message from Jordan, this time announcing that they’re on their way, so Tessa forces herself to leave the comfort of the bed so that she can collect Emmaline’s things and pack up – grabbing the onesie out of the dryer where it was tangled in with Scott’s clothes and rinsing out her bottle.

“Hey,” Jordan knocks briefly and slips in through the front door just as Tessa finishes neatly organizing everything inside the diaper bag on the couch, “Everything go okay?”

“I should be asking you that. How’s Charlie?”

“He’ll be fine. I have to keep an eye on him for the next twenty-four hours, but the doctor thinks he’ll be okay. Moirs have hard heads.”

“That’s what I told Scott,” Tessa chuckles, pulling her sister in for a hug as soon as she sags down onto the couch beside her. Wrapping both arms around her and squeezing tight. It takes her a moment, being the less physically affectionate of the two, but Jordan returns the hug with a sigh, revealing just how tired she is.

“I’m sorry we ruined your birthday.”

"You didn’t,” Tessa rushes to reassure her, “It’s been… sort of perfect actually.” She smiles softly to herself and Jordan looks at her curiously, but it's true. Despite not turning out at all how she expected, she wouldn't trade tonight for the most elaborate date in the world.

“Well, I’m glad we didn’t ruin it. Charlie said Scott was pretty excited.”

“Not at all. We both had fun.”

“Speaking of – I saw his car out front. Is he still here?”

“He’s asleep upstairs with Emmaline.”

“In the guest room?” Jordan rises and heads towards the hallway, but Tessa shakes her head and points upstairs.

“No, in my room. She had a bit of an accident so we gave her a bath. Don't worry, her clothes are clean now and in her bag. It got all over Scott.”

Jordan makes a disgusted face and Tessa laughs. She knows her sister loves her daughter, but she can’t deny the thought of Jordan ever cleaning up something like that mess is next to impossible.

“Is there anything left to clean up?”

“No,” Tessa chuckles again, reassuring her with a wave, “It’s fine. We handled it.”

“Thank god.”

Jordan retrieves Emmaline and heads out with promises to return the blanket as soon as possible, and Tessa blows them both a kiss before closing the door and locking it with a quiet click.

It’s late and she’s pretty tired now, barely managing to drag her feet upstairs, past a still-sleeping Scott, and into the bathroom to brush her teeth and go through her make-up removal routine. All the while having an internal debate about whether it would be weirder to climb back into her bed with Scott or go downstairs and sleep in the guestroom.

It is _her_ bed, after all, so it couldn’t be considered strange for her to want to sleep in it. But Scott’s there, so it might be crossing a line to share the bed with him. But then again, it didn’t seem to bother him before he fell asleep, so it’s probably fine. He might be offended if he woke up and found out she’d moved downstairs to avoid him. NOT that she would be avoiding him, or has any reason to avoid him, it would merely be an attempt to be considerate of his feelings. He might have only been okay with sharing because Emmaline was there and needed looking after.

“Jordan must have picked up Emma.”

Tessa jumps at his sudden appearance, jabbing herself in the eye with her soap-covered finger in the process and muttering curses as she rinses it out. “You scared me.”

“Sorry,” He chuckles, leaning against the doorway of her bathroom and running his hand through his hair – making it stick out even more wildly. His sweats are slung low around his hips and Tessa finds her eyes trailing the path his abs make before she catches herself and turns back towards the mirror.

“Yes, Jordan came. She said Charlie will be okay, it’s just a minor concussion.”

“That's good to hear. Sorry I fell asleep.”

"No worries, I didn’t mind. You could have continued sleeping, if you wanted.”

“Kind of a lame ending to the date, though. I’m sorry our date didn’t turn out to be as epic as I promised.”

Tessa turns towards him and leans against the counter, mirroring his pose and giving him a look, “Stop apologizing. I had fun! Tonight was very memorable.”

“That’s one word for it,” Scott laughs a little awkardly, and she hates that he seems to think tonight was a disappointment, “We should do it again sometime though - get it right. Maybe next time we’ll actually make it to the restaurant.”

“I think we should do it every week!” Tessa replies with a grin, and Scott steps away from the door-frame in surprise. She tries and somewhat fails not to notice the way his abs clench briefly with the movement.

“You do?”

“Yes! I miss dancing regularly with you. We need to do it more often.”

“Oh,” He deflates, “You want to go dancing every week.”

How did she get this wrong? She'd been trying to make him feel better, but now he seems to be bummed out again. 

“Of course. What did you think I meant? Babysitting?” 

“No, that is what I thought. I want more dancing, too.” He hurriedly smiles, and she officially has no idea what's going on in his head. “I’m, um, I’m gonna head home.”

"Are you sure you’re not too tired to drive? I don’t mind if you want to stay here.”           

“Nah, I’ll be fine. I’m just gonna grab my stuff out of the dryer and go.”

“Okay. I’ll walk you out.”

Scott tugs his t-shirt back on once they're downstairs, now warm and dry, and slips on his dress shoes from earlier. She wants to make a comment about his outfit – the shirt and sweats combined with fancy, shiny shoes – but something in his face is still sad, and she’s not sure why.

Impulsively, she does the first thing that comes to mind and throws her arms his neck in a tight bear hug, and thankfully Scott doesn’t hesitate for a second to return it – burying his face in the crook of her neck and breathing deeply.

“Thank you for tonight, Scott. It was the second-best birthday ever.”

“Second?” He asks, lips moving against her skin and breath sending goosebumps down her neck and sternum.

“Well the first best was when you took me to get ice cream at The Frozen Spoon and let me get as many scoops as I wanted.”

“Tess, that was when you were twelve.”

"I know, but they closed that place down six months later and I’ve been dreaming of their chocolate fudge swirl ever since.”

Scott bursts out laughing, the rumble of his chest against hers making her laugh as well, and Tessa grins against his shoulder.

“Well, then I guess second place is okay,” Scott lets her go with a smile and whatever was bringing him down a moment ago seems to be completely gone, his eyes back to their warm, happy glow.

It’s exactly the reaction she’d been going for – there can be no sad Scott on her birthday. It’s not allowed. 

“See you at work tomorrow?”

“No place I’d rather be. Goodnight, kiddo.” He pecks her on the cheek in farewell, his lips hitting more of the corner of her mouth and lingering a little longer than they normally do, but she chalks that up to drowsiness. 

“Goodnight, Scott. Text me when you get home so I know you're safe.”

"It's like a five minute drive," Scott chuckles, but he nods solemnly when she glares at him, "I will." 

She watches him go with a smile on her face. Whatever he might think, she'll definitely always remember tonight as epic in its own wonderfully surprising way.  

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The pink dress I pictured Tessa wearing was a combo of the pink Latch dress and a black dress Tessa wore to I *think* an Olympic Hall of Fame event in 2013. If that makes no sense, I'm sorry, it works in my head. Lol!


	13. Chapter Thirteen

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Andrew's acting strange and it messes with Tessa's head. Midori has her bachelorette party.

** living is easy with eyes closed **

 

Something isn’t right.

The café is full of the usual hustle and bustle. All around them people are coming and going. Students on their lunch break, employees grabbing something quick on their way to or from the office, a group of young moms meeting for mimosas and a break from their chaotic lives. It’s basically just another manic Monday, as The Bangles would say, and yet something is definitely not right.

Tessa peeks over her menu at Andrew for the fifth time in the last sixty seconds, quietly observing him while gnawing on her bottom lip, unhappy with what she sees.

His normally perfectly coifed hair is disheveled, he’d shown up to lunch in a t-shirt and jeans that have holes in them (and she’s positive they’re not there to create an intentionally grungy look), and his mouth seems to be stuck in a perpetual frown whenever he thinks she’s not looking. He's just not himself. 

“How was your auction date?” She attempts to sound strictly curious, not worried, and figures she’s pulled it off when all he does is continue picking around his gourmet Caesar salad with disinterest instead of acting offended or waving off her concern.

“…What?”

Great. He’s not even listening. He’d specifically requested that they get lunch today. Called her up out of the blue and practically begged. And even though she’s neck deep in plans for Midori’s wedding this coming weekend, she’d said yes. Now she’s starting to regret not staying behind and being productive with the rest of her team.

“Your auction date,” She repeats herself slowly, “With Amelia Bates. How was it?”

“Oh,” He chuckles and stabs a few pieces of chicken with his fork, but he doesn’t bother eating them, “It was pretty good. She was nice, but mostly talked about her kids the whole time.”

“Not exactly a love match then?”

“No, sadly I am still on the market.” His eyes shoot up to find hers then, probing and intense, and Tessa squirms uncomfortably under his unexpectedly direct gaze. “How was your date with dear Scottie-boy? Worth all that money?”

There’s more than a trace of venom in his voice, and this time it doesn’t sound like the usual rivalry they’d had going on up until now. No, this time it sounds genuine. Tessa answers honestly anyway, though, unsure what else to day or how to diffuse the situation.

“It was really good. We went dancing and then ended up babysitting our niece.”

“So he didn’t ditch you to have dinner with someone else? Someone you know, maybe?” Andrew’s eyebrows pull together to form an impressive glower, and Tessa cocks her head at him. Whatever she’d expected when he asked her out to lunch, it wasn’t this. She doesn’t care for this dark, brooding, glum Andrew at all.

“No, of course not. He was a perfect gentleman. It was great.”

It had been more than great, actually, and she hasn’t stopped thinking about it in the five days since – to the point where she’d spent half of Saturday looking up local dance class schedules and debating between those with a group or just paying Sam for a weekly private session.

Scott’s been a little busy since then, cancelling movie night to help his mom with something in Ilderton all weekend and keeping his door shut all day at work while he makes important calls and crunches numbers, but she can’t wait to talk to him and try to find time for dancing in their schedules. 

“Doesn’t sound like an eight thousand dollar date to me. I would have taken you dancing in Barcelona for that price.” Andrew says and Tessa thinks it’s meant to be a joke, but the smile doesn’t reach his eyes and it leaves her feeling… nervous.

“I could never have taken that much time off on such short notice.”

He sort of harrumphs and goes back to playing aimlessly with his food, crushing all of the life out of the lettuce pieces and ruthlessly stabbing a baby tomato in a way she’s certain it's done nothing to deserve.

“Is something wrong, Andrew? You seem to have left your joie de vivre at home today.”

He throws his fork down and leans back in his chair, sighing like he’d been waiting all hour for her to ask that question and mussing up his hair, “I’m just restless! I want to get out of this town. See something new, meet new people, escape all of the pressure and complications, feel new streets and cobblestones under my feet.” He swallows almost audibly and looks back at his plate, “But the person I want to go with won’t come with me.”

_Does he mean Barcelona?_ This seems like an extreme reaction to her rejection of his _hypothetical_ date plans. And it’s a little unfair to take something out on her that she couldn’t possibly have known about beforehand.

“Well, maybe after Midori’s wedding you can book a trip somewhere.”

“Do you think she can take the time off? Will you allow it?” He smirks, a trace of his spark back, and Tessa smiles happily – relieved to see some vivacity back in him, even if he is oddly referring to her in the third person. Perhaps he’s just trying to be cute.

“I’m sure I can be lenient.”

“Tessa, listen," He leans forward, suddenly intense again, "You’ve really impressed me with your intuition these past few months. With your clients you seem to instinctively know how to fix them and you’ve solved business problems with a snap. I wonder if you know what I need.”

“I think you just said a vacation.”

“Yes, but there’s something else missing from my life besides a new adventure, and I think… no, I’m sure you know what it is. You’re too smart to have missed it.”

_Oh crap_. Something missing from his life? In conjunction with a not-so-subtle trip invitation? Does he mean -? Is he saying -?

_Does Andrew Poje have feelings for me?_

Looking back over his actions – the lunch dates, the random appearances at her office, the flowers, the flirting – and now this? That must be the answer. He has feelings for her and they’re so intense he’s struggling to get them out.

But what is she supposed to say? He’s handsome and she certainly enjoys the attention, and they _would_ make an amazing power couple, but she’s never really thought about _dating_ Andrew. At least, not since their brief fling in college. And yet he’s looking at her like he’s expecting an answer to something.

She needs to stall.

“Um… what will be missing is us, or me, I mean, from work if we don’t pay the check and get out of here. I still have a lot to prepare for the wedding.”

Andrew gives her a small smile and nods, “Yes, and we want things to be perfect for Midori’s big day.”

“Exactly. She deserves my full attention right now.” She stands up to leave, but Andrew stops her by taking her hand.

“Of course. I’ll see you later then, Tessa.” He lifts her hand to his mouth, softly kissing the back of it, and Tessa feels her heart go _thud_. "Thank you for meeting me for lunch." 

“Goodbye, Andrew.”

 

 

Somehow she manages to make it back to the office in one piece, although she has zero memory of the drive from the café. For all she knows she ran every single red light and stop sign and went through a zombie apocalypse without noticing – thoughts of Andrew plaguing every mile.

He’s charming and fun and smart and exciting to be around, but does that mean she loves him or even likes him as more than a friend?

Ugh. Where is her intuition when she needs it?

The mental fog persists as she walks past Kaetlyn’s desk, barely managing a hello for her assistant before continuing on down the hallway while staring at the hardwood floor.

“What’s wrong?”

She looks up at the sound of a familiar voice, somehow having found the couch in her office and sat down without realizing it, and now Scott’s leaning against her doorframe looking at her like she’s missing her head. Which isn’t actually that far off from the truth.

"I don’t know,” She murmurs around her thumbnail. She broken the habit years ago and would never risk her manicure, but sometimes it still helps her handle her nerves to have it between her teeth all the same.

“Did Andrew say something at lunch that upset you?” Scott drops down onto the cushions next to her and Tessa leans into the comforting touch of his hand on her back. Has it really been five days since he last touched her? She’s missed it.

"Not exactly. I think… I think he likes me.”

Even admitting the words out loud feels strange, and it doesn’t make her thoughts any clearer. Shouldn’t she feel giddy or giggle or want to scream it from the rooftops? Isn’t it normal when you have a crush to be _excited_? And yet she’s just… blank.

Scott removes his hand and she instantly feels its absence, making two fists in his lap instead. In the corner of her eye she can see his jaw clenching and unclenching for a moment before he takes in a deep breath and simply replies, “Oh?”

“Yeah. I’m not sure. He didn’t say it outright, but he hinted pretty heavily, and now I’m just so confused because I have no idea what to do. I need advice.”

Desperately needs it, in fact, and who better to turn to than her lifelong partner and friend?

"Tess,” Scott sighs and looks up towards the ceiling, “Has it ever occurred to you that I might not be the best person to talk to about Andrew Poje?”

“Why not? I know you don’t like him for some reason, but you’re my best friend in the whole world. Who else am I supposed to talk to?”

He swallows thickly, his jaw ticking again, and abruptly stands up from the couch, “Midori, Kaetlyn, Jordan, your mom. Hell, even Kait. Literally anyone else.”

“But I trust your advice more than anybody.”

Why can’t he just sit back down and tell her exactly what to do? Somehow she just knows that if Scott helps her make the decision, everything will turn out exactly how it’s supposed to be. They bounce things off each other and act as each other's sounding boards. That's what they've always done.

"I can’t tell you what to do here, T, I just can’t. You’re gonna have to figure it out on your own. I’m sorry.”

With that he turns and heads back to his office, the sound of his door being shut loudly behind him really driving home the point that she’s going to have to figure this out without him.

It’s not fair. She’s always been there to talk about his girlfriends when he needed her to be. Any time he needed to rant or get advice about how to break up with them or just needed an escape for the night, she was there with open arms and a notebook or a movie queued up and ready to go.

It’s cruel of him to shut her out now in her time of need, but fine. If he wants to be that way, she’ll work it out herself.

 

****

 

Five days later and she’s no closer to figuring out her heart than she was while sitting across from Andrew trying to eat a panini and listening to him poorly attempt to tell her his feelings.

It’s Saturday, the day of Midori’s bachelorette party and the day before her wedding, and Tessa has about a million things to do to finish getting ready, but instead she’s lying in bed – contemplating the meaning of love, googling its definitions on her phone, and trying to make sense of her thoughts by writing them down in the notebook she keeps in her nightstand.

Love is: an intense feeling of deep affection. She does feel affectionate towards Andrew, but can it be considered _deep?_ And how does one know if a feeling is deep, anyway? That seems like such an arbitrary term, not scientific at all, and therefore not a good basis for determining her feelings, so she moves onto the next definition.  

Love is: a great interest and pleasure in something. She _is_ interested in him and his life and feels pleasure when she’s with him, so that’s something, she supposes, and she writes it down. It’s not exactly the strongest basis for a lasting relationship, but it’s not a bad start, either.

Love is: a deep romantic or sexual attachment to someone. Tessa taps her pen against her bottom lip while pondering that last one.

It’s an interesting point. If she is in love, she should physically want him, right? The thought of Andrew should send her heart racing, her blood pumping, and make her feel something between her legs. There hasn’t really been a reaction to him like that so far that she’s noticed, but perhaps she hasn’t been paying attention.

Tessa sets her notebook and pen neatly back on the nightstand before shifting around in the bed to get comfortable, the sheets rustling noisily around her, and works her hand under the elastic waistband of her pajama pants.

Closing her eyes, she tries to picture him – his hands on her body, his lips on her skin. Tries to imagine what it would feel like to have his tall, lean, muscled frame pressed against hers between these very sheets. Would he be a breast or ass man? Linger on her nipples or go straight between her legs? Does he take his time with foreplay, or just assume she’s already wet for him?

The more she fantasizes about it, the closer she gets to her orgasm, but each time she begins to crest – nearly reaching her peak – the feeling is lost and she’s left back at square one.

It’s incredibly frustrating and she almost gives up, but now that she’s started, she doesn’t want to get out of bed dissatisfied so she keeps trying – sliding two fingers inside of herself while working her clit with her other hand.

Just as she’s about to reach her goal, the tingling anticipation of a satisfying climax almost in reach, the head she’s imagining between her legs changes. The hair grows longer, the nose more distinctive, the jawline sharper, and the eyes, once dark brown, become almost hazel with pupils blown wide.

Tessa comes with a shout, the wrong name falling from her lips, and she lays there with her hands still in her underwear in an almost horrified daze.

Scott’s name.

She’d said _Scott’s_ name.

“Oh my god.” Tessa rips the blankets off herself and jumps out of the bed, tripping in the tangled sheets and face-planting on the floor in the process.

Scrambling up off the ground and tossing the bundle of fabric back onto the bed, she begins tearing her clothes off, ignoring the way her still-sensitive skin tingles and sends the blaring message to her brain and clit that it’s ready and willing to go again, before running into the bathroom and turning on the shower full blast.

There’s a strip of pictures of her and Scott in a photobooth from the Ilderton Carnival last summer tucked into the corner of her bathroom mirror, mocking her, and Tessa flips it around before jumping in underneath the scalding hot spray to wash away all evidence of her shame.

_It never happened,_ Tessa tells herself, scrubbing violently at her skin with her lime green loofah, _it was an accident. Nobody ever needs to know._

Midori will be there soon to go over last minute wedding details and get ready for the bachelorette party together, and even though part of her wants to tell her friend about Andrew and Scott and try to figure out what it all means, there are more important things to worry about today than which fantasy of a man brought her to orgasm.

And besides, how could she possibly explain something so insane?

 

 

 

"Are you sure this dress isn’t too short? I didn’t think so in the boutique earlier, but now –“ Tessa twists around in the floor-length mirror and tugs at the sparkly black material as if she can make it grow three inches by sheer force of will, but it doesn’t budge no matter how hard she tries.

She and Midori have spent the last hour rifling through her walk-in closet trying to find suitable outfits for the party, and while Midori had quickly settled on an black jumpsuit that’s on just the right side of sexy, yet classy, Tessa’s been having a much harder time.

“It’s not too short,” Midori looks up from her phone with a reassuring smile, “It makes your ass look amazing. Besides, clubs are meant to be a little more daring.”

“Daring yes, slutty no,” Tessa turns around again, trying to be as objective as possible. The dress is conservative on top – long sleeves and modest neckline – but the _length_ of it… one wrong move and she’ll be giving the whole room a show.

“I like the way it shimmers, so I say wear it. I’m the bride, you have to do what I say.”

“Is this the moment bridezilla finally makes her appearance?” Tessa teases, “I was wondering when she’d show up. My money was on it being tomorrow morning when we get to Box Hill Gardens and you see the venue all done up for your wedding for the first time.”

“Watch it,” Midori warns, pretending to glare, but there’s no real heat behind it and Tessa only laughs. “I’m trying very hard to be a chill bride, don’t mess this up for me.”

“I won’t! You’ll be even more chill after we get a few drinks in you. Apparently the club’s strawberry daiquiris are to die for.”

Which is as they should be, given that the club is named Strawberry Fields and has, by all accounts, taken the red theme quite literally. It’s the newest hot spot in London, finally a place that isn’t overrun by cheap college students, and Tessa can’t wait to try it out.

“Actually, I won’t be drinking tonight,” Midori admits with a guilty expression, but there’s a smile there, too, toying at the corner of her lips, and it makes Tessa suspicious.

“Why not? You have to drink at your bachelorette party. Getting wasted the night before your wedding is practically a rite of passage.”

Midori smiles and places her hand gently over her stomach, resting low on her abdomen, “I didn’t want to say anything until I was sure, but… you’re going to be an honorary aunt.”

“What?” Tessa drops the two different shoes she was debating between on the floor with a clunk and scoops up her friend in a giant hug, “You’re pregnant?”

“Yep!” Midori pats her on the back and laughs when Tessa refuses to let her go, “Two and a half months along. I couldn’t wait any longer to tell you.”

"Oh my god! I’m so happy for you and Alex!” Tessa gives Midori another tight squeeze before finally releasing her, only letting her move back far enough so that she can look at her stomach and check for any signs of a baby bump that she’d somehow missed. It’s hardly noticeable, but it’s there. “I can’t believe it.”

“I can’t either.”

“No, I can’t believe you kept a secret from me for two and a half whole months, Midori!” Tessa swats her on the shoulder and Midori immediately retaliates in kind with a laugh.

"Hey! I didn’t even know myself that whole time,” Midori says defensively, sitting back down to do the buckle on the ankle strap of her heels and sending another text to her fiance.

“Two and a half months,” Tessa shakes her head, falling onto the bench besides her, “We are best friends – we’re supposed to tell each other everything.”

“Speaking of, you’ve seemed a little distracted today. Is there anything you want to tell me?”

And just like that all of Tessa’s anxious thoughts come rushing back in, and her thumbnail finds its way between her teeth without a conscious thought. “It’s nothing important.”

Midori takes her hand away from her mouth and gently tangles their fingers together in her lap, giving her an all-too-knowing look, “Tess, best friends tell each other everything. Does it have something to do with someone we both know?”

“I’m not even sure it’s anything to tell. I just… have you heard from your cousin lately?”

That seems to take her by surprise, as if she was expecting to talk about someone totally different, and Tessa wonders briefly what else Midori thinks she might be keeping from her. Surely she hasn’t become a psychic recently, has she? Because if she has and she knows what Tessa was daydreaming about earlier, Tessa might have to bury her head in the sand forever. Or maybe move to Paris and assume a different identity.

“Andrew? Alex went golfing with him on Wednesday, but other than that, no. Why?”

“No reason.”

“Tess-a,” Midori says, her voice slow and cajoling, “What’s going on?”

“Nothing! He just was a little bit… weird when we had lunch on Monday.”

Weird might be the understatement of the century. A total mindfuck, would be more honest.

“That’s interesting. I didn’t know…” She pauses and her forehead creases as she seems to be deeply thinking something over, before she finally smiles and says, “You would make a very cute couple.”

“What?! That’s not even – I didn’t say – that is –“ Tessa scrambles to find the words. Anything to defend herself or get Midori off the scent, but it’s too late. She can tell by the way that Midori lays her hand on her thigh that her best friend knows exactly what’s going on here.

Maybe Tessa _is_ in love, if it’s written so plainly on her face.

"Whatever happens, I support you.”

“I never said anything would happen,” Tessa clarifies, but when Midori only looks at her like she’s being dumb instead of saying anything, she amends her statement. “I never said anything would happen, but thank you. You’re a good friend and I appreciate your support.”

“You’re welcome. Now, I believe it’s time for my party!”

“Not yet. You still need the finishing touches.”

Tessa drapes a hot pink bride-to-be sash over Midori’s shoulder and sets a sparkly, bedazzled tiara on her head, making sure it’s fixed properly to her hair and ignoring her friend’s halfhearted protests, before nodding in approval, “Cheesy comes with the territory. Now, let’s get you to the club and out on the dance floor before you’re too big to move.”

Midori laughs as they head out the door, and Tessa resolves to leave all thoughts of Andrew or Scott or any other boys at home for the rest of the night.

 

 

 

The other girls are waiting for them at Strawberry Fields: Kaetlyn, Gabby, Kait, and a few other women from Midori’s office and gym. It’s a pretty good-sized group and Tessa can’t wait to have a genuine girls’ night. It’s been far too long.

And who needs men to have fun, anyway? 

“The first round is on me!” She announces as they enter the club amidst a round of cheers, and once everyone’s had their first daiquiri she drags them all out into the middle of the throng of dancers to do a poorly coordinated, mix-matched version of the routine to _Single Ladies_ by Beyoncé.

Midori is surprisingly the most enthusiastic, waving her hand in the air and bopping along like the song was made for her. 

It doesn't take long before they've all had a few drinks, except the bride of course, and Gabby comes up with the idea of playing a version of The Dating Game where one of them picks two people in the crowd and asks someone else which one they’d date and why while they take a short break from dancing.

“It’s your turn to pick, Kait,” Gabby says, having just chosen to date a rather leggy blonde over her dark-haired partner at the bar. Although, to be fair, Gabby had actually chosen _both_ until they made her choose just one. “Would you rather date that guy in the Doug Ford t-shirt playing pool, or the next person to walk into the club – whoever it may be.”

“Ugh,” Kait looks at the t-shirt in disgust, “The next person to walk in, definitely.” They all turn with anticipation towards the entrance, and when the doors open Kait's cheeks go bright red and she mutters, “Oh you have _got_ to be kidding me.”

Tessa cranes her head to see around the woman standing in front of her, her lips still wrapped around the straw of her third strawberry daiquiri, and she nearly chokes at the group of men walking in.

“What are they doing here?” Kaetlyn asks rather innocently, sounding entirely unbothered by this development whereas Kait appears to have gone slightly green (although it’s hard to tell in the red lights) and Tessa suddenly feels hot and cold all over.

“Alex texted me,” Midori shrugs, “It turns out the sports bar they were supposed to go to is closed for health code violations so I told them to just come here.”

“Midori!” Tessa squeaks in protest, “This is supposed to be your last night of freedom. You can’t spend it with your fiancé. You’re not supposed to see him today at all!”

“But I’m not free,” Midori points out, holding up her left hand before waving her arm at Alex and beckoning for him and his friends to join them, “And if I’m going to grind on anyone tonight, I want it to be my future husband.”

Beside them Kaetlyn sighs longingly into her bright pink cosmo, “That’s so romantic.”

Okay, so maybe Tessa can admit that it is kind of sweet that Midori only wants to dance with Alex, but still. That doesn’t change the fact that she violated the first and most basic rules of a bachelorette party – don’t invite the bachelors! Especially when one of them is tall, dark, handsome, and frustratingly confusing.

"Does this mean I can invite Brett?" Gabby asks and Midori shrugs. 

"Sure, Gabby." 

Normally Tessa would pounce on that and pester Gabby for updates regarding her dating life with the handsome bachelor from the auction, but she's a little distracted by their sudden ambush.

Steeling herself for whatever is about to happen and mentally preparing for another morose Andrew, Tessa turns back around to greet the men as they join their booth.

Her eyes stay fixed on Andrew as they approach and she waits for her heart to flutter, her cheeks to flush, or her palms to get sweaty, but none of those things happen. There’s no butterflies or that nausea that accompanies a crush.

Instead, he gives her a jaunty little wave and a totally unbothered smile, and Tessa waves back. Which can only mean one thing: she is _not_ in love with Andrew Poje.

With the realization comes a rush of relief that floods her body and leaves her feeling lightheaded and weightless. It's liberating to finally have her answer. They’re friends and that’s all they ever have been or will be, and she is one hundred percent okay with that.

“Hey, Tess,” Andrew slings his arm around her shoulder in a one-armed hug, and Tessa returns it with a happy sigh. It’s so nice to know that she doesn’t have to be nervous around him anymore.

“Hi. Having a fun night so far?”

“It’s infinitely better now that we’re here with you,” He winks and Tessa giggles and all feels right with the world again.

Looking around at who else is with him besides Alex, she finds Scott standing on the opposite side of the table talking to Kait and Kaetlyn. She knew he’d be with them, of course, as one of Alex’s groomsmen, but in her anxiety over seeing Andrew she’d forgotten to look for him.

Now that he’s here, her heart seems to have stopped beating entirely.

Scott’s always been good at reading her. _Too_ good. And while normally she has nothing to hide, tonight she really doesn’t need him finding out her thoughts. _Not_ that she has thoughts, because what happened that morning was a fluke thing, but still. It’s better for everyone if it remains a secret.

He seems to notice her staring at him and he glances over, his eyes swiftly moving across where Andrew’s arm is still circled around her before meeting her gaze, and Tessa can only hold it for half a second before she has to look away.

It’s too much. Now she knows, or at least, has imagined, what those eyes would look like during…  _No!_

She needs a distraction so she steals Andrew’s recently delivered whiskey sour and swallows half of it in one go, wiping the back of her hand across her mouth before returning it to a bemused Andrew.

“You can have all of it, if you want.” He holds it out to her and she seriously considers accepting his offer, but ultimately decides it would probably be best if she wasn’t completely hungover during the ceremony tomorrow.

“Maybe later. Let’s dance.”

“Your wish is my command,” Andrew wiggles his eyebrows playfully at her and grabs her hands – tugging her out into the middle of the dance floor and using her waist to pull her in close to his body.

The rest of the group pairs off and joins them, and Tessa won’t deny the relief she feels when she sees Kait with someone random and Scott dancing with Kaetlyn instead. She’s not sure she wants to see him dancing with Kait ever – _not_ that she cares who he dances with - it just wouldn’t be right.

Kaetlyn looks thrilled though, and Tessa’s grateful that he asked her. She’s so much more confident than she used to be, but after the whole Ryan fiasco she’s seemed a bit hesitant regarding dating and it’s nice that Scott stepped in and didn’t let her feel left out for even one second tonight. They even seem to be relatively well-matched on the dance floor, moving in sync as Kaetlyn follows his lead.

Andrew, on the other hand, seems to be trying to help Tessa sway or grind or something, but his rhythm is all wrong and even tipsy like she is, she knows he’s completely missing the beat of whatever club music is blasting over the speakers.

“I don’t need you to teach me how to dance,” She laughs, but instead of pushing him away she winds her arms around his neck and allows him to continue moving her body with his.

“Believe me, I know,” Andrew shoots back, laughing right along with her.

It’s easy to hand the control over to him, as bad as he is at it, and just allow her body to feel the music and go with the flow. So much less stressful than standing at the table or sitting in the booth with nothing but her embarrassing thoughts to keep her company.

They dance for a while and she lets her thoughts zone out. In the haze of the liquor and the dark of the club, Tessa’s almost completely forgotten all her problems, and she doesn’t think anything of it when she grins at Scott as he and Kaetlyn move closer to her and Andrew.

Scott smiles back and she briefly considers asking to switch partners, but then three things happen in quick succession. One, Andrew steps backwards with his arms held high over his head and starts wriggling his hips to make her laugh. Two, a waiter with a tray full of drinks tries to slip between him and Kaetlyn. Three: Andrew hip-checks the waiter and sends him careening towards the young brunette.

“Look out!” Tessa shouts, reaching out even though she has no hope of stopping the disaster already in progress.

In a split-second Andrew recognizes what’s happening and contorts his body around the waiter, taking an entire tray of drinks down on himself instead of letting it all land on Kaetlyn.

“Oh my god!”

“Andrew!”

“I am so sorry, sir!” The waiter drops to his knees and starts grabbing pieces of shattered glass, looking at Andrew’s soaked shirt in terror. It’s obvious the poor guy thinks he’s about to be fired, but Andrew just laughs him off.

“I’m alright. No bruise, no foul. Just a little… wet.” He holds up his hands helplessly and everyone in the vicinity breaks out in laughter, including Tessa. It’s so unfortunate, but it’s incredibly sweet the way he’s not acting upset about it like so many people would.

“What were you thinking?” Kait shouts, glaring down at Andrew with bright red cheeks, nostrils flaring, “You could have been seriously hurt!” It's more emotion than Tessa thinks she's ever seen from the blonde. Apparently she takes broken glass very seriously. 

“I’m fine. I couldn’t let Kaetlyn take the hit, and I’m good at turning an inconvenient situation into an adventure.”

“No, you were too busy having fun and messing around to take precautions and _think_ ,” Kait shoots back, “As usual.” 

“You saved me,” Kaetlyn kneels down beside him, staring in soft amazement, and Andrew smiles with a tenderness Tessa hasn’t seen from him before.

“I’ve always wanted to rescue a beautiful damsel in distress,” He winks, but it's less PlayBoy and more playful, and Kaetlyn helps him to his feet, offering to go with him to the kitchens and see if they have anything to stop the stain from setting, and Tessa watches them go – the wheels in her head turning a mile a minute.

Perhaps Andrew hadn’t been about to confess his feelings for her on Monday, but for _Kaetlyn_.

It makes sense. He’d said it was someone in her office who she’d have to give permission to to go on vacation, and she highly doubts he meant Scott. And who wouldn’t fall in love with Kaetlyn? She’s sweet and kind and generous. It’s an unexpected match, but stranger things have happened, and the more Tessa watches them chatting and smiling together across the room while Kaetlyn dabs at his shirt with a towel, the more convinced she feels.

Suddenly there’s a warm hand on her leg, fingers cupping just behind her knee, and Tessa nearly jumps out of her skin.

“Virtch, it’s just me,” Scott rubs his hand up and down her calf in a move he probably thinks is reassuring, but only succeeds in leaving a trail of fire in its wake, “I wanted to make sure you didn’t step on any of the glass.”

Kait’s down there too, the two of them helping the waiter pick up the broken shards and keeping anyone from stepping on them and getting hurt, and Tessa quickly drops to her knees and starts helping – keeping her burning cheeks turned away from where Scott can see them.

“Thanks, I appreciate it.”

“Of course,” Scott murmurs, barely audible above the crowd and music, but she hears him anyway - her ears attuned to the sound of his voice after all these years. 

He turns back to continue talking to Kait and Tessa cleans up her area as quickly as she can despite her hazy vision and clumsy fingers, scrambling for piece after piece and dumping them into the waiter’s garbage pail until he waves her off with a litany of thank yous.

She doesn’t feel like dancing anymore at the moment, not with her head spinning like it is, so she stumbles her way back to their booth and sits down next to Kaetlyn and Andrew – the latter of whom is now proudly sporting a black polo with the club’s logo printed on it in bright red stitching.

“We couldn’t get the stain out,” Kaetlyn explains sadly, holding up Andrew’s now ruined shirt like the world’s saddest trophy, "There were too many different colors and liquids mixed together."

"It’s okay. I’m choosing to think of this as free merch,” Andrew straightens up and puffs out his chest, the polo stretching tight across his pecs. It's clearly a size too small for him, but maybe he'd chosen it that way on purpose to emphasize his muscles. He’s definitely working it to his advantage, and Kaetlyn can’t seem to tear her eyes away from where the buttons are straining.

“Still, I’m sorry you took the spill for me.”

“Stop apologizing, K.O.,” Andrew grins, bumping her playfully in the shoulder and making Kaetlyn blush, “It’s all good. I’m going to keep dancing. See you gorgeous ladies out there?”

“In a minute,” Tessa replies with a laugh, “I need a break first.”

“Me too,” Kaetlyn nods, and Andrew shrugs and gives both of them a high five before finding their group again and dancing up behind Kait who wastes no time shoving him away.

Tessa’s glad that Kaetlyn decided to stay in the booth with her for a little while. It’s the perfect opportunity to lay some groundwork for her relationship with Andrew and maybe subtly try to get some answers out of her.

“So, have you met anyone interesting tonight?” Tessa asks, accepting a glass of water from a waitress and ordering a plate of fries. She desperately needs something else inside her stomach besides rum and whiskey, otherwise she’d going to be in a world of pain during the wedding tomorrow.

“No, I don’t think I’ll be dating for a while,” Kaetlyn answers softly, her gaze fixed on something (or is it someone?) out in the crowd.

“Why not? Still not ready?”

“No. It’s just…” She chews on her bottom lip, choosing her next words carefully, “I don’t think that men think of me in that way.”

Tessa snorts and shakes her head, nearly giving herself a headache in the process, “That’s not true. Is this because of you-know-who? Kaetlyn, you can’t –“

“No, no it’s not,” Kaetlyn interrupts quickly, “I promise. It’s just – I think that men, real mature worldly men, think of me as a little sister or something.”

“I see…” The waitress returns with the fries and Tessa slides the basket between them, gesturing for Kaetlyn to help herself, “It’s none of my business, but it sounds like you have someone specific in mind.”

There’s a long moment where Kaetlyn seems to be at war with herself, debating whether or not to answer honestly, and Tessa gently places her hand over hers and squeezes. Wordlessly telling her that she can say anything. Tessa is a lifestyle coach, after all, she can help with this.

“I do, actually. Not that there’s anything between us, because there isn’t, he’s just someone I admire.”

“Let me guess. Someone smart, successful, charming, handsome, funny, and kind?”

“Yes. Yes, yes, and yes.” Kaetlyn sounds more excited now, and Tessa grins.

She knew it. She knew there was something going on with Andrew, and the way Kaetlyn can’t seem to stop smiling only proves it. “Maybe someone who caught your attention when he did you a big favor? Rescued you from a horrible situation?”

It’s about as blunt as she’s willing to get in a crowded club where anyone might overhear them, but Kaetlyn seems to have no such qualms – practically bouncing in her seat and grinning from ear to ear.

“Oh my gosh, yes! To go from being awkward and uncomfortable to incredibly happy all in one instant? I haven’t stopped thinking about it all night.”

She hadn’t looked awkward or uncomfortable dancing with Scott, but of course, she was probably feeling a little intimidated dancing with him, since he’s a professional and all. Perhaps Andrew’s mishap with the glasses was divine intervention – exactly the thing the two of them needed to take a step forward.

“Of course you can’t. That’s totally natural and very romantic. Just don’t confuse gratitude with love,” Tessa gently warns, looking back over at Andrew and finding him standing along the wall with Kait, the two of them apparently having an argument of some kind. She’s probably mad that he didn’t stay to help clean up the messy glasses.

“I’m not, I swear,” Kaetlyn replies, and Tessa turns her attention away from Andrew and Kait and back to her practically glowing assistant, “It’s not the only reason I like him.”

“Good. I don’t want you to get hurt again, so the only advice I’ll give you is to be careful. Let his behavior guide yours.”

There. That counts as friendly advice and not matchmaking, right? She’s still keeping her promise to Scott at Christmas that she was done trying to force people to be couples, while telling Kaetlyn what she needs to hear to move forward in a smart, cautious way.

Maybe, if they’re lucky, they’ll have another couple to celebrate soon.

“I’ll try. It shouldn’t be too hard since I don’t even think – oh, Tessa, do you really believe he might think of me that way?” Kaetlyn looks at her with wide, hopeful eyes, and Tessa smiles.

“I don’t see why not! More wonderful things have happened.”

“Really?”

“And this time I promise I won’t interfere. We won’t even say his name. In fact, this conversation never happened.” She makes a zipping motion across her lips and Kaetlyn giggles, repeating the action over her own.

“What conversation?”

“Exactly.”

The two women dissolve in a fit of laughter, spurred by the giddiness that accompanies the bloom of a new crush, and Tessa feels a burst of affection for her friend.

Kaetlyn and Andrew. This is so much better than she and Andrew would ever have been, and now with some luck, Tessa will get to enjoy seeing a happy assistant every day who’s getting all the love and attention that she deserves.

“What are you two laughing about?” Scott walks over and leans his arm against the edge of the booth by Tessa’s head, and his sudden appearance makes her jump and spill her water all over her lap.

“Oh no! I must be bad luck tonight,” Kaetlyn grabs all the napkins off the table and hands them to her in a big wad, and Tessa thanks her and mops up the mess from her thighs – steadfastly avoiding looking at Scott. Apparently it was a good thing she'd worn such a short dress tonight, after all. 

“It was my fault, Kaetlyn, I was just surprised.”

"Still, I'd better take you away, for Kaetlyn's protection," Scott winks and Kaetlyn giggles, while Tessa sits there wordless and confused and keeping her hands safely in her lap where they can't cause anymore damage. 

“Come dance with me, T,” Scott takes the soiled napkins from her hands and puts them on the table before pulling her out of the booth and guiding her backwards through the throng until he finds some space amid the sea of bodies, leaving Tessa no choice but to go with him. 

She can’t think. The alcohol, barely diluted by the water and fries, is making it nearly impossible to find the line between what’s appropriate with him and what isn’t, and she has no idea how to behave around him now that she's crossed such an egregious mental line, however briefly. 

“Is this okay?” He steps in close, placing his hands low on her hips, and she forgets how to breathe.

“Yup!” She squeaks once she realizes he’s waiting for an answer, her voice loud and unnatural, “It’s not like we’re brother and sister!”

_Why_!? Why did she just say that? Why is her brain freaking out and making her act weird with him? It’s just Scott and one accidental fantasy shouldn’t change her behavior around him. This is ridiculous.

He’s staring at her funny, a cross between having just eaten something sour and being utterly confused, and she can’t blame him. It would make more sense if she’d turned green and grown gills, than the way she’s been avoiding him all night and now blurting out the weirdest, most cringeworthy things.

“Brother and sister?” He finally manages to say, “No, no we are not.”

He looks upset. Maybe he does think of them that way and he’s sad that she doesn’t? Oh god. If he sees her like a little sister and he found out what she was doing that morning – imagining him going down on her while she’d touched herself – he’d think she was a sexual deviant.

She needs to change the subject, and fast! Casting her eyes around for anything that she can talk to him about, she lands on Kait leaving the club in a hurry and her brain blurts out the second worst thing she's said that night, “Are you and Kait dating?”

Scott laughs, light and carefree, and Tessa only marginally wants to die of embarrassment at having asked him so bluntly. At least he isn’t upset or offended, so that’s a step in the right direction.

"Which Kait are we talking about?” He teases, and Tessa pinches his shoulder and glares at him. If she’s going to humiliate herself she might as well at least get an honest answer from him.

“Kaitlyn Weaver of course.”

Scott settles his arms more comfortably around her while they sway to  _She Will Be Loved_ by Maroon 5 and Tessa tries not to think about how close his hands are to her ass. “Kait’s just a friend. That ship sailed a long, long time ago.”

“So you’re not interested in her?” She presses, needing to put this to bed once and for all.

_To rest_ , she hastily corrects herself. _No bed thoughts around Scott allowed – not even metaphors._

“Not in her, no.”

Tessa nods and she’s just starting to finally relax around him when someone bumps into him from behind and he stumbles forward, his pelvis shoving into hers, and her brain decides that’s the perfect moment to remind her he has a dick and it’s only a few thin pieces of fabric away and Tessa rips her arms away from him and jumps backwards – almost falling in her haste to put space between their bodies.

“What’s with you tonight? Why are you so jumpy?”

He reaches out to touch her elbow in concern, but how can she possibly begin to explain this to him? If only she hadn’t had so much to drink, she might know how to handle this. As it is, she can barely remember to move her left and right feet independently and keep time to the music while his arms are around her, let alone find a way to nonchalantly explain her actions in a way that will satisfy him.

“This was a mistake,” She mutters to herself, scrunching her eyes shut tight against the pulsating lights of the club. She really needs to limit herself to one drink, maybe two, on nights when she’s dealing with erratic, nonsensical emotions.  

“A mistake? I thought you said you wanted to dance with me more?”

_What?_ He must have completely misunderstood her and now she’s making this whole situation worse. He looks like she just kicked his favorite puppy.

“I do. Just not like this.” Not drunk and dangerously teetering on having no inhibitions. A hairsbreadth away from accidentally confessing wildly inappropriate thoughts that he _so_ does not want to hear.

“Not like this,” Scott repeats, scoffing, and she has the distinct feeling that he’s not talking to her anymore, “Of course not.”

“No – I just – I’m a little drunk. I’m sorry.” She's not sure how it happened, but she hadn't meant to upset him.

Scott sighs, running his hand through his hair, and opens his mouth to say something, his other hand finding its usual place in the crook of her neck, but she flinches away like she’s been shocked.

"Okay, seriously Tessa? What is it? And don’t say -”

“Nothing!”

“-Nothing,” He finishes, glaring at her as his hands fall back to his sides, “I know you better than that. Something’s up with you. You’ve been weird ever since I got here tonight.”

“No.” She shakes her head back and forth from side to side as vehemently as she can, as if by sheer force alone she can deflect his questions.  

He visibly takes a moment to make himself to relax, dropping his shoulders and flexing his fingers a few times, before speaking in a much more controlled voice, “Are you hiding something from me? Whatever it is, you can tell me. I... I can take it.”

But she can't. She can't possibly tell him this. Not until she's gotten over the lingering feeling of it, like a dream that stays with you for a few days, and moved on. It was just a fleeting thing, and he just needs to give her space to forget it ever happened. Which she can't do if he keeps pushing her. It's giving her a headache and she rubs her temples with both hands to try and stave it off. 

“For the last time, no! Now drop it!”

_Shit_. She hadn’t meant to yell at him. They never, ever raise their voices towards each other, and she immediately opens her mouth to apologize.

“Fine!” He spins around on his heel, tugging his hand away sharply when she tries to reach out and stop him.

Tessa lets herself get pushed and pulled by the mob, feeling like a buoy at the mercy of the waves and watching Scott disappear with a sinking feeling in her stomach. They weren’t supposed to fight. Tonight was supposed to be fun – a night of drinking and dancing with the girls – not a night of awkwardness and arguing with her best friend.

But they’ll be okay. They have to be okay. She’ll talk to him tomorrow at the wedding and they’ll laugh this off and everything will get back to normal. Soon today will just be a bad memory.

It will all be fine.

 


	14. Chapter Fourteen

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A wedding at Box Hill Gardens.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry in advance for the end.

** so you had a bad day **

****

Trying to organize a wedding is a lot like trying to herd cats, and Tessa’s barely had a minute to breathe since she woke up that morning and immediately ran to the bathroom to throw up any booze that still remained in her stomach.

Between flower deliveries and organizing place settings and finding emergency transportation for the band after their van got a flat and the hairstylist forgetting to bring bobbypins for Midori’s hair, she hasn’t had a single second to herself – let alone time to try and find Scott and smooth over their fight from last night. Even though she's thought of hardly anything else since leaving the club. 

There’s a spot between her eyes that’s been pulsing steadily since she got out of bed and no amount of Ibuprofen has worked to make it go away, which only amplifies the stress she’s feeling. The painful drumbeat thumping _ow, ow, ow_ like the most depressing background track ever recorded.

Everything has to be perfect for Midori’s big day though. She deserves to have the wedding of her dreams and she’s counting on Tessa to make it come true. Which means she’ll just have to press on and focus on what’s most important for her friend first and worry about talking to Scott when she sees him, since she can’t take the time to hunt him down right now.

“Did all of the flowers get here okay?”

“Yes,” Kaetlyn confirms, making a note on her trusty maroon clipboard – the one that contains pretty much everything they need to make it through the day, “All the bouquets and boutonnieres are present and accounted for.”

"None of them were crushed during the drive, right? Especially Midori’s?” They absolutely cannot have a bunch of faded and bedraggled flowers in the wedding photos. Every petal has to be in the correct place and look pristine.

“Nope. They look fresh and full of life.”

Tessa nods and mentally checks that off her list. It's just one item out of many, but every step towards their goal of achieving an excellent wedding helps. She might need to sleep for a week after this is all over, though, just to recover. Maybe Scott can cover for her at the office for a few days. Or they can close up and enjoy a short staycation. That sounds pretty amazing right about now.

“What about the band?”

Kaetlyn nods and points to the stack of instruments across the courtyard from them. “Setting up as we speak. One of the guitars popped a D-string, but luckily a member of the kitchen staff happened to have a spare in his backpack. Wasn’t that a lucky coincidence?” She smiles brightly, like it's the most fortuitous thing she's ever heard, and she looks entirely too high-spirited for how Tessa feels. She wishes she could borrow just an ounce of her assistant's zest for the day, since she seems to have it in spades.

“That was lucky. Incredibly lucky. I imagine it would be hard to play music very successfully without one of the strings. Did you ask Alex’s brother if he remembered to bring the rings?”

“No,” Kaetlyn scribbles it down with her pen, drawing a little square next to it so that she can check it off as soon as it’s done. No one could ever say she’s not a thorough worker. “I’ll go check right now.”

“Good. He can be forgetful, so we’re better safe than sorry.”

Kaetlyn scurries away and Tessa starts meandering down each row of white chairs, double-checking that they’re all placed exactly right – both sides of the aisle perfectly symmetrical. When she reaches the front of the path where the arbor is standing, the spot where Midori and Alex will exchange their vows, she finds a few dead leaves marring the otherwise beautiful wedding arch and she picks at them one by one – plucking away anything brown while keeping an eye on the clouds in the western sky.

They’re fluffy and white right now, big, sweeping cumulus clouds, but the last thing they need is a rainstorm and the second they turn threatening she’s going to have to rally the entire crew to move everything into the large greenhouse reception area waiting as backup if they need it.

As long as they stay in the distance, though, Box Hill Gardens will remain the perfect wedding venue. It’s gorgeous - full of a million different kinds of flowers, immaculate topiaries, fascinating trees, and quaint pathways that wind in and out of the gardens like paths to fantasy worlds. It’s like something out of _Peter Pan_ or _Alice in Wonderland._

There’s so much scope for the imagination, as Anne of Green Gables would say, and while she prunes Tessa lets her mind wander to what her own wedding might be like. It would probably surprise most people, considering the career she’s chosen, but she hasn’t actually spent much time thinking about it. Even as a girl she was more concerned with her next dance costume than her future wedding dress. But something about her best friend getting married – finding love, starting a new life, getting pregnant – makes her feel almost wistful. Like there's a whole other life out there that she could be living.

If she were ever to get married, she’d want it to be some place like this. Somewhere outdoors where she can hear the birds singing and there are flowers blooming and blossoms on the trees and an overwhelming sense of tranquility.

Or, at least, there _was_ , up until two people started bickering behind the nearest bush.

Whoever it is, they’re clearly both trying to whisper and avoid being detected, but Tessa can still catch snippets of their conversation. A rather heated one, as far as she can tell, between a man and a woman. 

“Nothing’s changed –“

“You’re being unfair!”

"You haven’t learned at all!”

It’s awkward and she starts to move away as slowly and as quietly as she can, intending to leave them alone to hash out whatever their issues are, but suddenly one of them emerges in a stew – catching her standing awkwardly with one foot raised mid-step.

"Tessa!?”

“Andrew!?”

They stare at each other for a long time, neither of them knowing how to break the silence.  _Who was he arguing with?_ She wonders, tempted to walk around and see whoever is on the other side. 

Eventually she lowers her foot, trying to appear less guilty of eavesdropping (however unintentional it was), and waits for whoever he was arguing with to appear as well, but they seem to have found a different exit route because Andrew just stares at her like a deer caught in the headlights and nobody comes to save him.

“You look nice,” He finally says, shifting his weight from one foot to the other and back again.

“Thank you. You do, too,” She gestures wildly to his grey suit, her flailing arm nearly taking out the arbor she’d just worked so hard to perfect.

“Have, um… have you been there long?”

That’s code for _how much did you hear_ , and Tessa considers for a moment pretending to know more than she actually does, in the hope that he’ll spill what’s really going on, but there’s something almost vulnerable about the way he’s holding himself that makes her take pity on him instead. “Not long. I was just fixing the flowers on the arch. I had no idea you were here.”

“That’s good, that’s good,” He hums to himself, his thick eyebrows furrowing as he stares at the ground, and she’s about to turn and go when a wayward flower catches her eye and she pauses to fix it.

Suddenly his hand clasps around hers, crushing one of the roses in her palm as he grips her tight. “You think I’m a good person, right, Tess?”

“Of course I do,” She answers back quickly, confused by his sudden change in emotions. She doesn’t know what to do with this level of intensity, and she _really_ wishes he’d let go of her hand so she could put some distance between them.

“And you think people – two people – who are very different can make a relationship work?”

_Ah_ , she thinks with dawning realization, trying not to smile, _this must be about Kaetlyn_.

“I think as long as you have similar goals and morals, then yes. Opposites attract sometimes, you know.” She smiles softly, and Andrew seems to relax.

Perhaps he feels that he and her assistant might not be a good match, and so he’s afraid to try or admit his feelings out loud. It’s actually kind of sweet.

“I have no doubt that if you love someone, Andrew, you’ll find a way to make the relationship work. Differences be damned. You just have to prove that you’re willing to fight for her.”

Andrew sighs and smiles – small but genuine, “Thanks, Tessa. You truly are remarkable.” He presses his lips against her cheek, lingering there for a moment, before letting go of her hand and stepping back. “See you at the ceremony?”

“I’ll be the one walking behind you down the aisle.”

He laughs and heads off towards the main building where people in the wedding party are starting to gather, and Tessa turns to watch him go. In the corner of her eye she catches a glimpse of a familiar form watching her from next to the band, but then she blinks and he’s gone. She must have just imagined that Scott was there - a trick of the light or her own wishful thinking.

Her headache throbs again, reminding her to get back to work, and she doubles-down on her efforts to make this wedding go off without a hitch.

 

 

By the time she's solved her last crisis (the priest forgot a pen for the wedding license) she's running behind, barely making it to the waiting area where the rest of the bridesmaids and groomsmen are assembled to prepare for the processional down the aisle before Alex and Midori. 

Scott's already there, talking to Alex's brother, and Tessa has to catch her breath at the sight of him. 

He’s wearing a well-fitted grey suit to match the other groomsmen, including Andrew, but it looks the best on him, and his tie matches her bright red dress. He looks incredibly handsome, other than the barely noticeable tense set of his shoulders that's probably only obvious to her, but she intends to fix that right now.

“Hi,” She says with a small voice as soon as she’s standing by his side. By her calculations she has three minutes before the ceremony begins to make things right between them, and she intends to use every last second.

“Hi.” His response is terse and he doesn’t look at her, instead fiddling with the buttons at the end of his sleeve like it's suddenly crucial that he gets them to lay just right, but she presses forward anyway -  undeterred by his subtle rebuff.

“You look really nice. That’s… that’s a good suit on you.”

Scott sighs loudly before squaring his shoulders and finally looking at her with a tight smile, “Thanks, kiddo.”

The use of her nickname is all the encouragement she needs to know that she’s on the right track. Things can't be so bad if he's calling her that. She'll only worry if he uses her full name. 

“You’re welcome.” She smiles and adjusts his tie, smoothing it down his chest to make sure it's centered and laying flat, counting it as a victory when he doesn't push her away. 

“You look as beautiful as ever.”

His eyes quickly rake over her body and Tessa feels a surprising flush at his obvious appraisal. The off-the-shoulder Grecian style dress hadn’t been her favorite when it was on the hanger that Midori handed to her, insisting she wear, but it instantly raises in esteem with Scott’s approval.

“Thank you. Not too embarrassed to be seen with me, then?” She attempts to make a joke, but it backfires. Scott’s jaw ticks as he swallows, his Adam's apple bobbing up and down, and he turns to face forward again.

"You're the one acting like you want a different partner." 

“Scott,” She takes his hand, refusing to let go when he tries to pull away, even though his attempt at a rejection stings and makes her suck in a sharp breath, “I know I was being weird last night, worse than weird, but you know there is no one I’d rather walk down the aisle with, right?”

He goes incredibly still. 

“You’re my best friend –“

“So you keep reminding me.” He cuts her off and for some reason he sounds almost...  _bitter_ about her statement. Is he that mad that he doesn't want to be called her friend anymore? Surely things haven't gotten to that point after one night of misunderstandings. Maybe she needs to try a different tactic.

"I don’t like it when we fight. Can’t we just forget that last night happened and get back to normal? Tessa and Scott, the dynamic duo?” She bumps his shoulder with hers, smiling playfully and hoping he’ll reciprocate, but he doesn’t.

“It’ll be fine, Tess," He finally says after making her wait for what feels like ages, "I just need time to get over it.” He throws her a quick smile, but it doesn’t reach his eyes, and Tessa has the distinct feeling that he doesn’t mean it. Something is bothering him – something big. She just wishes he’d tell her exactly what it is.

Before she can press him further though, the sound of the band striking up their instruments and playing the first movement of Pachelbel’s Canon signals that it’s time to begin, cutting their conversation short.

Scott offers her his arm and Tessa takes it, picking up her small bouquet from the nearby table and wishing she knew the right thing to say or do to make this wall between them disappear.

Andrew finds his place in front of them in line, winking at her before taking the arm of his bridesmaid and heading off down the aisle, and Scott glares daggers at his back the whole way towards the wedding arch.

 

The ceremony is beautiful, but Tessa can't honestly say she pays very close attention to it. She's too distracted staring at Scott standing opposite from her and trying to figure out what exactly is going on in his head.

Every time he looks at her during the ceremony she tries to coax a smile from him. Like when the priest accidentally says, “May you be blessed with lots of sex,” and then hastily corrects himself to “success,” - a blunder that normally would have them both trying desperately not to laugh - but even then all she gets is a cracked smile and it isn't even for her. He directs it at the ground and gets it under control before looking up again. 

Scott working so hard to keep his emotions in check can't be a good thing, and she doesn't like the sneaking suspicion that things are about to get worse before they get better.

 

He avoids her through most of the reception, but Tessa's too busy to let herself care (mostly. It does still linger in the back of her mind, of course). There are too many things to coordinate like serving dinner, who's sitting where, the background music, and when to cut the cake.

She doesn't have a moment to spare until she signals to the staff to clear the dance floor and make room for the bride and groom. 

"Ladies and gentlemen, may I present to you the new Mr. and Mrs. Harvey!" She announces, clapping wildly, and all the guests join along while Alex leads Midori into the center of the floor. 

_Grow old along with me_  
_The best is yet to be_  
_When our time has come_  
_We will be as one_  
_God bless our love_  
_God bless our love_

Midori and Alex look incandescently happy together as they sway to the classic John Lennon song, and it's obvious that the two of them only have eyes for each other. It's somehow both wonderful and heartbreaking to see them so in love, and Tessa's never felt more lonely than she does in that moment.

She stays to watch the rest of their first dance as is expected, but once they invite other couples to start joining in she slips away and wanders onto the large terrace overlooking the rose garden and water fountains.

In the fading twilight the fairy lights strung around many of the trees light up, creating an ethereal glow that adds to the ambiance of the evening. It’s magical, and Tessa takes a moment to breathe it in, closing her eyes and inhaling the sweet scent of roses.

Her headache has persisted throughout the day, and she’s beginning to suspect that she might be developing a cold – the pressure mounting behind her eyes a sure sign of an impending sinus infection or something equally nefarious.

It’s only fitting. This week has already been such a rollercoaster, it only makes sense that she’d end up getting sick too on top of everything else.

"Here you are,” Andrew comes to stand beside her, setting two glasses of champagne down on the stone balustrade and sliding one of them towards her, “You’re missing all the fun.”

She really wishes he’d go back and join the party. The last thing she wants right now is company, and her mood sours with each second that he stays, but she can’t think of a good reason to send him away. “I just needed some peace and quiet. Why aren’t you dancing?”

“I was dancing with Kaetlyn – she’s really quite good at the foxtrot, did you know? But then I saw you out here alone and it looked like you could use a drink.”

More alcohol is probably the last thing she needs right now, but she picks up the glass anyway and takes a sip, savoring the way the bubbles burst between her tongue and the roof of her mouth.

“Tess?”

They both turn to find Scott walking towards her carrying a tall glass of water and what looks like a bottle of pills. He pauses when he sees Andrew, but then seems to make a decision and continues towards her – offering his supplies.

“You have a headache, right? I could tell by the way you kept rubbing the back of your neck. I got these from one of the caterers.” He hands her the bottle of aspirin and she's so grateful she could kiss him. And if she thought that would make their tension go away instead of make it worse, she would.

"Thank you!”

“You’re welcome. Do you –“ He glances briefly at Andrew, “Need anything else? Or are you good here?”

She’s struck by the sudden urge to ask him for a hug. Aspirin, water, her favorite pajamas, and some Scott cuddles in front of her TV sound like the perfect remedy for how she’s feeling. But she quickly dismisses the idea as being too silly. Not only does it make her sound twelve, but it would probably embarrass him – especially since he’s been so on edge all day.

“No, this is more than enough. Thank you, though. It’s sweet of you to ask.”

_Oh screw it._ She’s going to hug him anyway and he can just deal with it.

“Tessa!”

They’re interrupted by Suzanne and Kait joining them, and Suzanne is grinning and flushed with excitement as she practically jogs over. It takes a real concentrated effort on Tessa’s part not to groan at the sight of both of them.

So much for finding peace and quiet.

“I’ve been looking for you all night. This has been the most beautiful wedding I think I’ve ever attended. You’ve done such a fabulous job.”

She manages to give Suzanne a polite smile, "Thank you.”

“Who would have thought back when you were dancing all day that you’d end up doing things like this? It’s really amazing what you’ve become, and I’m so proud of you.”

It's not that Tessa isn't grateful for the praise, but can't it wait until she doesn't want to gouge her brains out with a spoon? 

"Tell her your plan, Aunt.” Kait softly prompts Suzanne, smiling at her aunt and nudging her shoulder.

“Well, see I was thinking, if Tessa can turn the world on its head and chase after new and unexpected dreams, why can’t I? Loblaw is doing a nationwide contest for the most innovative organic homemade food and the winner gets to have their products sold in Loblaw stores for a year.”

“And you’re going to enter?” Scott asks, clearly taking more of an interest in this than she is. 

“Yes, I think so. What do you think?”

Tessa grimaces and rubs the back of her neck, praying the aspirin will kick in soon, “What flavors will you choose? Cactus, date, and cantaloupe?”

“Oh, no dear," Suzanne laughs with a wave, "That might be too bold for new tasters. I was thinking strawberry, guava, and rhubarb.”

“You could call it ‘Strawguavabarb,’” Andrew suggests, surreptitiously elbowing her in the side, and Tessa has to cover her snort with a cough.

Scott shoots her a warning glance and she purses her lips together – trying to get herself under control. It really would be so much easier if her head didn’t fucking _hurt_ , but it does and it’s making her irritable and caustic.

“I like that,” Suzanne replies enthusiastically, oblivious to the fact that he was clearly joking, “Creative names for creative flavors. Maybe I’ll do my peach, cherry, jalapeño as well.”

“Peacherreño,” Scott suggests with an encouraging smile, rolling his R's dramatically, and both Kait and Suzanne grin at him.

“Well, Tessa? What do you think?”

Just then the pain in her head pulses like a knife, and when Tessa opens her mouth to answer the snark flows from her lips before she can stop it, like watching a train wreck as it happens, but being unable to do anything to prevent it, “I think you’re going to monopolize the disgusting jam flavor market. Let’s hitch our wagon to a star, guys.”

Andrew laughs beside her, but everyone else goes quiet as an excruciatingly awkward hush settles over their small group.

The second the words are out of her mouth she wants to take them back, but she can only watch in horror as Suzanne’s smile twists into something painful and broken. It’s no different than if Tessa had sucker-punched her in the face.

She’s never wanted to disappear more in her life, and she tries to come up with something to say – any way possible to brush it off as a joke or make it sound less cruel – but her brain fails her just as she needs it the most and all she can do is stand there mutely.

“You’re right,” Suzanne finally chuckles humorlessly, her cheeks bright pink and eyes rapidly growing moist, “It was silly. Who would want my jams? They are,” She swallows loudly around the lump in her throat, “Unique. I think I see Midori’s parents over there. I’d love to wish them well. Excuse me.”

“I’ll go with you, Aunt,” Kait says, barely contained fury in her eyes, and the two of them speed-walk away, leaving the silence behind them. Neither of them bothering to look back.

Tessa takes a step as if to go after them, but Scott subtly moves in her way - blocking her path with a shake of his head, like he has to defend Suzanne from her. _From her!_ He’s looking at her like he’s never seen her before, and not in a good way. It fills her with a shame that's hot and sharp and cuts like a knife.

“I think they’re going to cut the cake now. Want to go watch, Tess?” Andrew holds his arm out and Tessa almost takes it. It would be so easy to go with him. To get lost in the crowd. Find a bottle of champagne and use it to float away. To try and forget that any of this just happened. But she can’t.

“You go, I’ll join you in a minute. The garden is so pretty at night, I want to enjoy it a little longer.”

“Suit yourself,” Andrew shrugs and heads back into the crowd, leaving her and Scott alone.

She doesn’t speak to him. What could she possibly have to say? No, instead Tessa moves towards the stairs at the end of the veranda, gathering the long skirt of her dress and descending quickly towards the rose garden in a blatant retreat.

Maybe if she tries hard enough, she can escape into the night and never have to face what she's just done. 

She can hear Scott following close behind, his footsteps falling on the gravel path like portents of doom, and she wraps her arms as tight as she can around her torso, as if she can insulate herself against whatever he’s about to say.

“Tessa.” When he finally speaks his voice is quiet, quieter than she’d expected, and hard. Distant in a way she hates and refuses to turn around and acknowledge.

_He used my full name_ , she realizes, and her heart sinks like a stone. 

“How could you say something like that?”

“How could I help it?” She throws her arms out helplessly to the side and turns to face him – to plead with him to understand. But that immediately proves to be a mistake. She hates the look of disappointment on his face and her defensive instincts rise up like a wave, pushing her to fight.

“Suzanne’s your friend! She’s known you since you were in pigtails and wore mittens that were five sizes too big and made you feel better when everyone called you Big Hands!”

“I know.”

"She’s never been anything but kind to us, always. Every word she’s ever said to you has been encouraging. Never, ever, in the years we’ve known her has she said a negative word about you. Even her dance criticism was always framed in a helpful way.”

“I know!”

She doesn’t need him to remind her of Suzanne’s excellent qualities. She knows the older woman is wonderful and kind and him loudly telling these things to her with a passionate glare isn’t helping the situation.

"Then how could you humiliate her like that? In front of friends and family. Mocking her hobby, laughing at her with Andrew, and belittling her dreams and knocking her down when you should only be building her up and supporting her. She learned that from you, by the way, in case you weren’t listening. You showed her it was possible to put herself out there and rise to her potential by trying a new career path and that’s exactly what she was saying she wanted to do. I never would have though you could say something so thoughtlessly cruel.”

“Scott you’re blowing this out of proportion. It’s over. It’s done.”

“Yeah, _badly done_ , Tessa.” The simple words cut her to the quick, and Tessa finds herself fighting back tears. “If this is the way that you make the world better, then I don’t want to be any part of it.”

Tears stream freely down her cheeks, but she makes no attempt to wipe them away. He’s absolutely right and she has no defense other than that she was feeling sick and cantankerous and she lashed out at the first target that presented itself – which isn’t a defense at all. She’s behaved atrociously and the mortification of it turns her cheeks red and makes the tears fall harder.

She stares at the ground, wishing it would open up and swallow her whole. Her mouth feels like sandpaper and her tongue weighs heavy like lead, and she swallows thickly as she tries to find the right words to apologize. To tell Scott he’s right and she owes Suzanne the biggest apology in the world. But when she looks up she finds him gone. Already at the top of the staircase and heading back to rejoin the party.

There’s a wrought-iron bench nearby and Tessa stumbles over to it, sinking down onto the cold metal and dropping her face into her hands with a gut-wrenching sob.

 


	15. Chapter Fifteen

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tessa tries to fix things with Suzanne, and Midori comes bearing secrets.

** apologies and secret lovers **

****

“Thank you for calling the Virtuous Lifestyle Group. You have reached Scott Moir in accounting. I am currently out of the office, but leave me a message and I will get back to you as soon as possible.”

The answering machine beeps and Tessa hangs up the phone with a sigh. She’d seen his empty parking spot that morning, walked past his dark office, and read his email saying he was finally using his vacation days and going out of town for a while, yet it hadn’t felt real until she’d heard it from his own voice – even though it was automated.

He’s gone.

He hasn’t answered her texts or returned her calls all morning and his email had only said “indefinite leave,” and Tessa doesn’t do well with indefinite. She likes plans and lists and dates written down in advance on the calendar.

Scott’s sudden disappearance and refusal to say when he’ll be back has her feeling like Dorothy’s house spinning wildly out of control inside the tornado – no clue when or where she’ll land or how much damage there will be when she does.

It doesn’t help that she’d been right about her suspicions last night and developed a cold. That, combined with more hours spent crying into her pillow than she can ever remember, has left her feeling congested and puffy-faced all morning.

Kait isn’t in the office either, and even though it has been less than a year since there were only two people working here, Tessa had gotten used to their little foursome. It feels like a graveyard without the two of them here. She hates it. The silence is oppressive and the four walls she’d so meticulously decorated feel like they’re steadily closing in around her.

Left on her own, all she can think about is the wedding and what happened. Playing the incident over and over in her mind like some sort of masochistic filmmaker. Scott’s voice echoing _badly done_ round and round and round.

She needs to apologize to Suzanne. It’s the only way she’ll begin to feel peace again and it’s the right thing to do – the sooner the better - but she’s terrified. How can she possibly even begin to make amends? A simple apology isn’t going to cut it this time. She needs to find a way to fix what she broke, too.

An idea strikes her and Tessa sweeps all of the used tissues off her desk into the garbage bin before pressing the button to page Kaetlyn, wanting to jump on it immediately.

“Yes, Tessa?” Comes her ever faithful cheery response. It’s obvious that whatever else was going on, Kaetlyn was having a marvelous time last night, and Tessa envies the happy bubble she seems to be living in. _But_ , there are other things she needs to be focusing on right now besides what’s making her assistant so happy.

“Can you come in here, please? I need your help with something important.”

 

 

It takes days, but with nothing else to distract her (nothing important, anyway. Her other work can wait) Tessa throws herself into the hard work of executing her plan to right her wrong with her old mentor and friend. It’s a good plan, and it also comes with the added bonus of keeping her from obsessing over where Scott is. What he’s doing. If he’s thinking about her at all.

She resolutely does _not_ think about what she’ll do if he never comes back.

By the time Saturday morning rolls around she’s got everything ready for a mini-presentation, and she gets up at the crack of dawn and throws on her most comfortable t-shirt and jeans and pink blazer before driving over to Suzanne’s house – stopping at Tim Horton’s on the way to get two cups of coffee and a box of timbits.

(A little sugar never hurts when trying to sweeten somebody up.)

Between how much time it took to get everything ready and Suzanne teaching at the Highbury School all day during the week, six days have passed since the incident, and Tessa just hopes that it hasn’t been enough time for Suzanne’s heart to have completely hardened against her. She does not have a plan for what she’ll do if Suzanne slams the door in her face.

Armed with a thick binder, her coffee and snacks, and a prepared speech, Tessa rings the doorbell and then promptly forgets how to breathe. There’s a very real chance Suzanne will see her through the peephole and straight up refuse to answer the door. Leaving her to stand awkwardly on the porch will full arms and an empty heart.

But of course she doesn’t. She opens the door with a smile, however cautious, and a mostly friendly, “Good morning, Tessa. What a surprise! And so early in the day, too.”

_Oh god_. In her haste she hadn’t even thought to look at the clock and it never registered that most people probably don’t like getting visitors before eight in the morning on a Saturday. Suzanne is still dressed in pajamas and a bathrobe, for goodness sake.

“I’m sorry! I can come back later if now is inconvenient. I didn’t realize it was so early. I’ll just go and you can let me know when would be a good time for you. If there even is a good time, because if not then -”

“No,” Suzanne cuts her off with a laugh that actually sounds sincere, grabbing her arm and tugging her through the door, “Don’t be ridiculous. Come in, come in.”

Stepping into the old house that Suzanne had inherited from her parents after they passed is like stepping back in time. It still smells strongly of honey and is overwhelmingly decorated in shades of purple with one long wall plastered in lemon wallpaper. There are books stacked everywhere, dance-themed paintings on the wall above her record player, and photos of all her students over the years haphazardly nailed to the walls.

There are multiple pictures of Tessa and Scott among them, the largest of which being the one from their 2010 world championship that made them momentarily famous in Canada, but the one that catches her eye is from their first big competition under Suzanne’s coaching. They’d gotten third place, but it had been so much fun – the two of them feeling limitless and practically invincible – it was a feeling they’d chased the rest of their careers. Back when their partnership had been the most important thing in their lives.

Maybe that’s been their problem lately. Maybe she hasn’t been showing him just how important he is to her often enough. Scott must feel horribly taken for granted, and the thought fills her with guilt.

“I love that picture,” Suzanne comes to stand beside her and smiles softly at Scott’s beaming face, “The two of you were never happier than when you were holding each other’s hands and giving something your all together as a team. I hope you both still treasure that bond. It’s so unique.”

Tessa swallows painfully, quelling the surge of emotion rising in her throat, and turns away. It’s too painful to look at that picture any longer, knowing the damage she’s done.

“Have you had breakfast yet? Can I offer you anything to eat or drink?”

“Actually, I brought you these,” She hands her the coffee and box of timbits (minus one or two chocolate ones), “I hope caramel macchiato is still your favorite. I came over this morning to tell you what I can offer you. Can we sit down?”

“It is, thank you! Of course,” Suzanne gestures to the overstuffed couch and Tessa drops down onto the very edge of the seat cushion and holds the binder that she’d brought like a lifeline. Her throat has gone completely dry and she takes a big gulp of her own coffee to try to fix it, nearly choking on the hot liquid in the process.

“Is Kait here?” She manages to cough out, eyes watering, while Suzanne pats her on the back, “I know she took some time off work, but I wasn’t sure if that meant she went out of town or not.” If they’re going to be interrupted, she needs to know. She still has no idea what to say to the blonde when she sees her, and this issue is between Tessa and Suzanne. She doesn’t need a third party listening in and making her more nervous.

“She’s not. She went home to Texas to stay with her parents for a little while.”

“Oh. That’s nice for her to spend some time with them.”

“Yes, I think she needed a break from everything...” Suzanne’s voice trails off as she looks at the picture of her smiling niece on the coffee table, and Tessa’s guilt intensifies.

She can feel her fight or flight response kicking in the longer she puts off her purpose for being here, so she flips open the binder and gets started on what she came to do, hoping to stave off any impending panic attacks over the worry that Suzanne is going to say she wants to cut her out of her life.

“Suzanne, I am so sorry about what I said at the wedding. It was horrible and cruel and insensitive and I didn’t mean it, but even though it wasn’t on purpose that doesn’t change the fact that it happened and it was inexcusable.”

“Tessa –“ She tries to cut her off, shaking her head and waving dismissively, but Tessa presses on. She needs to stay this. They can’t just cover it up and move on or it will always be a thing festering between them under the surface.

“Wait, there’s more. It was also a blatantly wrong statement. You absolutely can win that Loblaws contest. _And_ do more. I’ve talked to our VP of marketing and he gave me a list of companies he recommends that aren’t too expensive. And this is the contact information for our graphic design team. They’re willing to give you fifty percent off their starter package. You don’t have to use it, but if you do here’s their intro packet with examples of all the amazing things they can do. I think they could really come up with some great ideas to really grow your brand.”

“Tessa,” Suzanne sits back, looking overwhelmed, holding the binder Tessa had shoved into her lap loosely in her hands, “You didn’t have to do all of this.”

“Yes, I did. I also sent a few samples of your jams to a chef I know in Toronto and he said there’s a lot of potential in them and he’d be willing to work with you to improve them for a general market. His information is in there too. I was stupid not to see it before. I _do_ believe in  you, Suze, I want your business to do well and I never, ever want to be the reason you don’t chase after your dreams. I never should have said what I did – even in jest. I am so sorry.” Tessa hangs her head in shame and waits for her inevitable dismissal.

Suzanne stays quiet for a few minutes, the cuckoo clock on the wall ticking loudly as each second passes, before she eventually murmurs, “You did all this for me?”

Tessa’s head shoots up to look at her, and she can’t resist reaching out and clasping Suzanne’s hand in her own, “I would do anything for you. I owe you so much. You shaped the path that lead to any success I’ve ever had. I wouldn’t be who I am today without your love and guidance. The least I can do is try to help you achieve your dreams like you did for me.”

“This is – I don’t know what to say.”

“Can you ever forgive me?”

It doesn’t matter whether she wants to use the business plan Tessa’s put together for her or not, what matters is if their friendship will survive.

“Oh, Tessa, of course I forgive you.” Suzanne pulls her into a warm hug and Tessa starts to feel for the first time in a week that things are beginning to look up.

If she can fix this, maybe she can fix everything else.

 

****

 

“Hey, it’s me. Um… I think this must be the tenth voicemail I’ve left for you this week. Thanks for texting me and letting me know you’re safe. I was about to drive to Ilderton and ask Alma in person where you are so I could hunt you down if you didn’t reply,” Tessa chuckles awkwardly and tries not to start crying. Again. “I hope you’re having a good vacation and… um… I hope to hear from you soon. I miss your voice and, you know, the rest of you, too. Okay well, that’s it I guess. This is Tessa, by the way. Tessa Virtue. Not that you needed me to tell you that since you have caller I.D. I’m gonna stop now. Bye, Scott. Call me back, if you want.”

She lets her head fall on the steering wheel with a low thud while her car sits idling in the driveway, her cell phone tossed carelessly into the passenger seat as the screen fades back to black.

She should probably stop calling him. It’s obvious by now that he doesn’t want to talk to her, but she can’t help it. She misses him, plain and simple, and the encouraging morning she’d had with Suzanne had given her the courage on the drive home to try reaching out to him again.

It’s probably not entirely healthy, but she’s beginning to realize that she’s quite attached to Scott Moir, and living her life without him just isn’t a feasible option. Not if she wants to be happy. They have to fix this, whatever it takes. She needs her best friend back.

If only he would pick up his phone.

As if by magic her phone chimes and Tessa snatches it up with more excitement than she’s felt in a long time. But in her haste she ends up dropping it between the seats and it takes her five minutes getting out of the car and fiddling with the seat lever to retrieve it. When she finally opens the green icon, her heart pounding in anticipation, she finds a message from Midori.

(The disappointment almost makes her throw her phone away without reading it.)

**Midori:** Back from honeymoon. Need 2 talk 2 U ASAP.

**Tessa:** When?

**Midori:** Now? Your house?

**Tessa:** Come on over. I’ll see you soon.

With a heavy sigh and an even heavier heart she retrieves her purse and trudges inside the house, trying to scrum up some enthusiasm for when Midori arrives. No doubt she’ll want to gush all about the honeymoon and what an amazing time she and Alex had in Aruba, and it’s going to take every ounce of energy Tessa can muster to put up with that today and smile and pretend nothing is wrong.

 

 

The first words out of Midori’s mouth when Tessa opens the door are, “Wow, Tess, you don’t look so good,” and Tessa frowns, her shoulders slumping. She’d thought she’d caked on enough make-up to hide the bags under her eyes, but apparently not.

“Insomnia again?” Midori asks, slipping around her and marching straight into the living room like she owns the place, leaving Tessa no choice but to follow.

“Just… a lot on my mind.”

“You know, don’t you?” Midori goes pale and starts pacing back and forth and casting surreptitious little glances in Tessa’s direction, the anxiety and worry rolling off her in waves. It instantly sets Tessa on edge.

_Has someone we know died?_ She starts mentally flipping through every connection they share, ruling out any family members and wondering if it’s someone from college. “Know what?”

“About Andrew’s secret.”

“Andrew?” Relieved that whatever it is doesn’t seem too serious, Tessa pulls a face and laughs, sitting down on her white couch and grabbing one of the throw pillows to hold onto in her lap, fiddling with the button in the center, “I thought you were here to tell me about Aruba.”

“So you haven’t heard?”

“Heard what?”

“Andrew and Kait are engaged.” The words burst out of Midori like an explosion and Tessa’s mouth falls to the floor.

Surely she didn’t hear her right. There’s no way Midori just said that her cousin, Andrew Poje, the man who’s done nothing but flirt with Tessa and ignore Kait for months, is _engaged_. To Kaitlyn _Weaver_. “What!?”

“They were together in Cambodia. Andrew told me the whole story yesterday over the phone.”

“Okay, sit and explain. Now.” Tessa commands and Midori follows immediately, sitting down on the opposite couch and braiding and re-braiding her hair while she talks to stop her hands from shaking.

“The two of them working together in Cambodia was a coincidence. They never expected to see each other after college, I don’t think they ever even thought much about each other at all, but they hit it off over there and things became very serious, very quickly. They were already talking about living together before either one of them came home, but then Kait found out that Andrew was there working for a company owned by Morozov Incorporated and that Morozov was secretly diverting water resources from poor communities to their new factories. The healthcare stuff Andrew was part of was basically a cover – a PR stunt to hide their illegal activities and child labor.”

Tessa gasps in horror and Midori raises her hand to prevent her from saying anything and continues on quickly. Which is probably a good thing, because Tessa can’t think of anything nice to say about someone who would work for someone so evil.

“Andrew swears he didn’t know, but he also didn’t quit or anything either, so Kait broke up with him. I think he thought if he quit he’d have to leave Cambodia and her, and that seemed more important. She left anyway, of course, and he followed her back to Ontario, but she refused to be convinced that he was anything other than a shallow playboy living off his family’s wealth with no concern for other people. An opinion that probably wasn't helped by him trying to make her jealous by flirting with you. She thought they were just too different and she told him to quit trying for good – that was the week before the wedding.”

Midori stops playing with her hand and grabs the other throw pillow instead, braiding the tassels on the end of it, “Andrew said he was going to tell you everything at that lunch you had together, but you said something to him about fighting for what he wanted, so when Kait went back to Texas this week he donated most of his inheritance to the Cambodian Children’s Fund, bought a ring, and I guess wrote the best speech of his life because he somehow convinced her to say yes. Although he did mention that Kait is insisting on a _long_ engagement.”

She finally stops for air and Tessa sags backwards into the couch cushions trying to absorb the abundance of information she just received. It’s almost too much to comprehend.

“Wow. I can’t believe it.”

“I’m so sorry, Tessa. I was shocked, of course, but I know this must be especially hard for you to hear.” Midori gets up and takes the seat next to her, placing her hand gently on Tessa’s knee and squeezing softly – like she’s afraid she might break any second.

"What do you mean?”

Midori looks at her like she’s being purposely obtuse, “We all saw how the two of you were together. I’ll admit I wasn’t sure at first, but I started to think you two were a cute couple. You certainly seemed to like each other very much –“

“No, we weren’t a couple,” Tessa rushes to reassure her, “I only like him as a friend.”

Midori arches an eyebrow and Tessa sits up a little straighter. She may be shocked by the news, but she certainly isn’t heartbroken.

“I’m being honest. Andrew Poje did not break my heart. He may have bruised my ego, but that’s all, I promise. There never was anything between us but harmless flirting, although I have to say –,” She pauses, feeling a flash of anger and hurt, “He didn’t know I didn’t like him like that. Which means he flirted with me while he had feelings for someone else with no regard to how I felt! Feelings for someone who works in my office! Oh my god,” Tessa groans and falls backwards again, covering her eyes with her hands, “Kait must _hate_ me.”

“I’m sure she doesn’t hate you,” Midori tries to sound reassuring, but one look from Tessa shuts her up. They both know that bridge is probably not just burned, but blown to smithereens. “But I’m glad to hear that you aren’t _too_ hurt by Andrew’s actions. I’m sorry my cousin is such a bonehead.”

“I can’t believe I was wrong again and Scott was right.”

“What do you mean?”

“He thought they were together, or at least, that there was something there. He mentioned it at the bachelor auction but I dismissed him as being ridiculous. Turns out he was the only one who could see it. I’m surprised he hasn’t come running over to say ‘I told you so.’”

“I’m sure if he doesn’t know, he will soon. Andrew said Kait is going to announce it on Instagram this afternoon once they’ve personally told all their closest family.”

“Scott’s on social media so rarely, who knows when he’ll find out, but I’m sure when he does see it he’ll mock me forever. I really need to hang up my matchmaking hat for good. I can’t believe I thought –“ Tessa freezes, her blood running cold.

Oh god. What is she going to tell _Kaetlyn_?

The poor girl has already fallen for two men in the past year and had her heart crushed (although the first fling with the I.T. guy probably doesn’t count), how is she going to handle having it happen _again?_ How can Tessa possibly break the news to her in a way that won’t be totally devastating?

It would be one thing if Andrew was an asshole like Ryan, but he isn’t. He’s been nothing but sweet to Kaetlyn. It was only natural that she would develop feelings for him and she does not deserve this.

Abusing her trust? Taking advantage of her friendship? Tessa can handle that and probably eventually forgive Andrew and move on since she didn't actually have any feelings for him. But Kaetlyn did and manipulating _her_ and deceiving _her_? That’s unacceptable and she’ll never forgive him.

“Are you okay, Tessa?” Midori waves her hand in front of her face, drawing Tessa’s attention back to her friend, “You sort of checked out for a second there.”

“I’m fine, just… reeling from the news. It’s a lot to process.”

Midori sighs, “I know. I expected to come back from our honeymoon rested and relaxed, but it’s nothing but chaos here. Let’s go out for some ice cream. Chocolate fixes everything and I need it.”

Tessa agrees with a laugh and grabs her purse, but her mind wanders back to Kaetlyn. She’s got until Monday morning at work to figure out how she’s going to tell her. That’s just over thirty-six hours to come up with the perfect speech and apology for any misplaced encouragement Tessa gave her. It has to be exactly right. Anything she can do to mitigate the damage and soften the blow.

And maybe she should take a couple of pints of ice cream to stock in the break room, just in case Kaetlyn needs the extra reinforcement.

Still, Tessa can’t help but think that it’s all kind of extraordinary. Who would have thought that a relationship between Andrew and Kait could affect so many people? And what _else_ doesn’t she know about her closest friends?

 


	16. Chapter Sixteen

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tessa tells Kaetlyn about Andrew and Kait and receives a few surprises in return.

** that boy is ~~mine~~ hers **

****

Poor, poor Kaetlyn. Why does she keep falling for the wrong guys? Okay, so maybe last time was because of Tessa, but this time she’d had nothing to do with it. Kaetlyn fell for Andrew all on her own – Tessa never even mentioned his name! But once again, it's Tessa who has to be the one to break the news to Kaetlyn and therefore break her heart. It's not fair. 

Tessa’s not even sure where to begin. She’d spent all of Sunday agonizing over what to tell her to the point where she’d been so worked up she couldn’t sleep and had shown up at the office this morning three hours early to clean every room from top to bottom.

Except Scott’s, of course, she still can’t bring herself to go in there knowing that he won’t be waiting for her with a joke and a smile. She still hasn’t heard from him, and part of her is preparing to endure another long work week without his company, even though she hopes he'll return before that.

But, as much as she wants to obsess over his absence, it’s not as important as trying to help Kaetlyn get through what is sure to be a trying time. The girl is strong, this Tessa knows, but she is also young and a blow like this would be difficult for anyone to bear. To find out that the man she’d fallen in love with was secretly interested in dating her coworker? A woman she has to see day in and day out and know that she has what Kaetlyn wanted? It will surely be excruciating.

Tessa finishes scrubbing the inside of the microwave and checks her watch. The grocery store should be open by now, so she tugs off her bright yellow rubber gloves and heads down the street – purchasing three gallon-sized buckets of ice cream to stow in the freezer.

She isn’t sure what kind Kaetlyn likes best so she buys chocolate, spumoni, and mint chip, along with an array of toppings to keep stacked away in the cupboards. It should hopefully be enough to ease the wound. In Tessa’s experience nothing helps soothe a broken heart and wounded ego quite like ice cream.

(She should know, she’s been eating enough of it since Scott disappeared.)

Kaetlyn arrives just as Tessa starts blasting compressed air between the keys of her assistant’s keyboard, and the two women look at each other in surprise for a moment, Tessa looking up with wide, guilty eyes as if Kaetlyn had caught her red-handed committing a crime.

“Tessa, what’s wrong?” She has no idea how, but the girl seems to pick up on her discomfort immediately and she drops her purse and rushes around the desk to give her a hug. She smells like peach body spray, a scent that matches her bright orange dress, and Tessa's suddenly struck by how much more grown up she seems now than she did eight months ago when she started at the company. Perhaps she's been trying to appear more mature for Andrew, an effort that will be wasted now. 

She only returns the hug for a second, her guilt and nerves too overwhelming to allow her to seek comfort from Kaetlyn any longer than that. She has to tell her. Now. Get it over with quickly like ripping off a Band-Aid. The longer she waits, the more it will hurt. 

“Do you want some tea? Coffee? Ice cream?” She gestures towards the break room with a jerky hand motion before scurrying off in that direction, anticipating correctly that Kaetlyn will follow. Somehow it seems so much easier to have this conversation in a place that’s less formal and not right by the front door where they might be interrupted any minute.

“Are you okay?” Kaetlyn asks with gentle concern while Tessa scoops out a giant helping of mint chip and practically shoves the bowl into her hands. “It’s a little early to be eating ice cream.”

“I have some bad news,” Tessa begins slowly, sitting down on the couch and waiting for Kaetlyn to join her. The look on her face is calculating, and she takes her seat with silent apprehension. Not that Tessa can blame her for being uneasy, she knows she's being weird, but she can't help it. Tessa curls her lips between her teeth for a moment, trying to find the strength to say what she needs to say. “Andrew and Kait are… a couple.”

Kaetlyn cocks her head with her lips wrapped around a spoonful of ice cream, and her voice comes out garbled around the utensil as she innocently asks, “A couple of what?”

“They’re dating. Well, actually they’re engaged.”

Tessa cringes as she delivers the news, waiting for the tears to come. Maybe some yelling or exclamations. Perhaps even a choice swear word or two. But Kaetlyn just shrugs and digs her spoon into the bowl again, helping herself to another healthy portion of mint chip.

“Oh, I know.”

It’s like Tessa just told her the sky is blue or the sun rises in the east. She seems completely unbothered and it makes no sense. Shouldn’t she feel _something_? Kaetlyn must be the best person at hiding her emotions that Tessa’s ever met, because if the situation were reversed, Tessa knows she'd be majorly freaking out - at least on the inside, if nothing else. 

“You do?”

Kaetlyn nods and pulls out her phone, opening up Instagram and scrolling down until she finds what she’s looking for – a picture of Andrew’s arms around Kait from behind, her hand resting over his with her engagement ring prominently displayed. The heart in the left corner is already colored red, a sign that Kaetlyn even went so far as to _like_ the post when she saw it. Tessa had completely forgotten Midori said they were planning to announce it that way. “I saw Kait’s post about it yesterday. Isn’t that crazy? None of us had any idea, well, at least _I_ didn’t. You’re so good at matchmaking and reading people, you must have known.”

Tessa snorts at that increasingly incorrect statement. "I'm beginning to suspect I have no talent for that at all. I didn’t know. Midori told me on Saturday. She said they were together in Cambodia and then broke up, but the entire time Andrew’s been here he’s been trying to win her back.” Kaetlyn still doesn’t seem too upset, but Tessa’s certain she’s just bottling it up. Perhaps in the twelve hours since she saw the post she’s been working on expertly hiding how she really feels about it. But she shouldn’t have to do that. Tessa wants her to know she’s sympathetic and here for her if she needs it, so she grabs Kaetlyn’s knee and squeezes, “I am so sorry.”

“It’s okay. I’m just glad I’m not the only one who didn’t know it was going on! I was pretty shocked when I saw the picture of the ring. It’s not my style, but I hope Kait is happy.”

Kaetlyn walks over to the sink and rinses out her bowl, scrubbing it clean with a sponge before setting it on the rack to dry, and Tessa watches in disbelief. It’s just not possible for her to be this okay, is it? Tessa’s had crushes that didn’t like her back before and there was always at least a day of wallowing a little bit before she was able to move on. She’d assumed being in love would garner a much stronger reaction.

“That is so nice of you Kaetlyn… But are you okay?”

“Me?” Kaetlyn laughs, light and airy, “I’m fine.”

“You are taking this awfully well.”

“Well, I mean I’m a little surprised. They seem so different! And I thought we were pretty friendly, so I do wish Kait had been comfortable confiding in me. But it’s also none of my business, so I understand.”

Tessa gets up and joins her by the sink, grabbing both of her hands and looking her straight in the eyes – trying to suss out even a hint of sadness or disappointment. “And that’s it?”

“Um… is there something else I should be upset about?”

She says it like she’s waiting for Tessa to tell her what’s wrong and then she’ll react to it appropriately, not like someone who’s hiding something. Apparently getting her to open up is going to require a much more direct approach.

Tessa gently rubs her thumbs back and forth across the back of Kaetlyn’s hands, trying to make her voice sound as comforting as possible, “Well, if I found out the person I was in love with was seeing someone else –“

“Wait, you think I’m in love with Andrew Poje!?” A burst of giggles so strong leaves Kaetlyn’s body that she’s forced to pull away and cover her mouth to try and contain it. Her eyes are twinkling in delight and she can’t stop the occasional snort from escaping as she tries to controle her laughter.

It’s… a little insulting, if Tessa’s being honest. She’s only trying to be supportive here, and it would be nice if Kaetlyn wouldn’t act like she’s the one being ridiculous and overreacting. “Of course! Who else?”

Kaetlyn snorts again, but finally manages to calm herself down enough to start talking, “Andrew is nice and funny, but –“

“And he rescued you from that tray of drinks at Midori’s bachelorette party,” Tessa feels the need to point out, perhaps speaking a little more harshly than she’d intended. But hadn’t they talked about that very thing at the party? And Kaetlyn had said she’d been unable to stop thinking about it. That seemed to have been the big catalyst towards her liking Andrew in the first place.

“Yes,” Kaetlyn says slowly, both looking and sounding more sober now as she observes Tessa’s displeasure, “And I was grateful, but as you said there’s a big difference between gratitude and love.”

“Of course there is, but I thought you two got along so well.”

“We do as friends, but Andrew is such a big personality, I could never keep up with him.”

_Oh_ , Tessa realizes, _this is Ryan all over again_. Kaetlyn found out that Andrew is in love with Kait and she’d assumed the problem was with her again and resorted to blaming herself. They really need to work on that side of her self-esteem so that she can stop blaming herself every time someone doesn't like her back, and Tessa has nothing but time to help her with that now that their office is half empty.

“Of course you could, Kaetlyn. He would be lucky to have you. Anyone would.”

“I’m glad that you feel that way, but truthfully I need to be with someone less intimidating. I know that about myself now.”

"So, then, who are you talking about?” Is it possible there’s someone else in her life that Tessa doesn’t know about? She supposes there must be. It’s not like she spends every waking hour with Kaetlyn. The girl has her own friends and activities outside of the office. It’s perfectly natural that she might have met someone somewhere else. It’s just… she’d acted like Tessa would know the man in question when she talked about him in the club, and there aren’t that many male acquaintances that the two of them share.

“You really don’t know?” Kaetlyn looks nervous now. She’s started fidgeting with her hands and chewing on her bottom lip, and a weird sort of dread settles in Tessa’s stomach. An ominous feeling that says she isn't going to like where this conversation is heading. 

“When you told me you were interested in someone you told me he was smart, successful, charming…”

“…Handsome, funny, and kind.” Kaetlyn finishes for her, “Yes, he is.”

“And that he saved you from a horrible situation.”

"Yes. Many times. He drove me to work when my car broke down, he asked me to dance at Midori’s bachelorette party, he -”

“Scott.” Tessa cuts her off. She's instantly hit with a wave of nausea so strong she has to clamp her mouth shut to prevent herself from throwing up and breathe through her nose a few times before she can continue. “You’re in love with Scott. I guess Kait and Andrew aren’t the only ones keeping secrets.”

She’s going to be sick. Honestly, truly, vomiting in the sink, sick.

There’s no way that this is happening right now. No way can Kaetlyn be seriously talking about Scott. Tessa's Scott. The two of them can’t be – it just doesn’t make any sense. It has to be a mistake.

“I didn’t meant to keep it a secret. You did tell me not to say his name, right?”

_Fuck_. Why did she say that? Why didn’t they talk about this at the party where Tessa could have squashed the crush in its infancy? Although, maybe it’s _not_ a new crush. Maybe it’s been steadily growing this whole time and like a fool she hadn’t seen it. Had never even suspected what was going on just down the hall from her office.

"Yes, I did.” Tessa swallows down the rising bile, trying to find the strength to ask the next, most important question, “And are the feelings mutual?”

“Well, he hasn’t said so directly, but yes, I think they are.” Kaetlyn sounds shy at first, but her voice gets stronger as she continues until she’s practically bursting with excitement – her hands finding Tessa’s again as she gushes with stars in her eyes, “Oh, Tessa, I’ve started to see him in a whole new light. And we’ve been working together more closely and he’s been teaching me about finances and –“

“He is?” She’d had no idea. How long had these tête-à-têtes been happening under her very nose? Have they been laughing at her this whole time for not knowing their secret? 

“Yeah, I asked him a few weeks ago if he would and he seemed so enthusiastic. I’ve gotten to know him better and we both _love_ the Leafs -” 

“I love the Leafs, too,” Tessa grumbles under her breath, feeling petty. Sharing a hockey team doesn’t make you soulmates, however excited over it Kaetlyn may be.

“And he’s so considerate. One time when I said I’d forgotten to eat lunch he ran to the café across the street and picked me up a salad. You remember – he got you some coffee too because we all had to work late. I get these butterflies every time I’m around him that make me act so dumb sometimes, but it’s okay. I spilled coffee on his pants once and I was so embarrassed, but he didn’t even get mad.” Kaetlyn smiles at the memory and Tessa wants to tear it off her face.

She’s horrified by the violent urge, but she can’t exactly make it go away either. For some reason, Kaetlyn smiling about feeling butterflies around Scott makes her irrationally angry.

She tries to keep her voice neutral when she responds, but the words come out through gritted teeth, “It takes a lot to make Scott genuinely mad.”

Like insulting your longtime friend. Like disappointing him so badly that he disappears for one hundred and eighty hours and thirty-seven minutes. (Not that she’s counting.)

“That’s one of the things I like about him. He’s so passionate, but not in a scary way where you’re ever worried about him lashing out at you. He’s so steady and ambitious and goal-oriented. And you’ve always encouraged me to never settle.”

“Yes, that’s true, but do you think you might be confusing Scott being interested in you romantically with his general niceness to everyone?” She doesn’t mean it to be demeaning, she really doesn’t, but it comes out sounding that way and Kaetlyn’s face falls, instantly making Tessa feel bad.

“Right… because someone like Scott could never really be interested in someone like me.” She moves to go, trying to step around her, but Tessa catches her arm and keeps her in place.

“No! No, no, no that’s not what I meant.” Tessa slides her hand down to take Kaetlyn’s again, even though being close to her is the last thing she wants right now, and shuts her eyes – trying to find the inner strength to say what she needs to say. “Look, Scott Moir is the last guy in the world who would intentionally lead a girl on when he didn’t have feelings for her.”

“I thought so too,” Kaetlyn hesitates, biting her lip and trying not to smile as she says, “So when he asked me if I was seeing anyone right now, I took that as a sure sign he was interested.”

“He asked you that?”

Kaetlyn nods, and Tessa feels something inside her shatter.

“I think Scott and I could have something really special, and I’ve grown a lot thanks to you. I think I’m ready for a serious relationship. I know two romance surprises in one week is a lot, but I hope you’ll be able to be happy for us if it works out.”

Happy.

Happy is the _last_ thing Tessa feels right now. She wants to scream, run away, and punch things – not necessarily in that order.

But… that wouldn’t be right. Kaetlyn’s looking at her with wide, hopeful eyes and a tentatively cheerful smile. How could Tessa take that away from her? She can’t know that her words have hurt so deeply, cutting a wound so painful Tessa can hardly breathe.

“Of course I’m happy. I’m just surprised. I think I’ll go for a walk to clear my head.” As soon as she says it, she knows it was the right choice. Kaetlyn smiles a little wider, like she’s been given a gift, and Tessa knows a walk will do wonders to help her calm down and give her the chance to work through the maelstrom of emotions swirling around inside her.

 

 

She power walks to the park a few blocks away from the office. It’s packed with kids enjoying the gorgeous summer sunshine, but Tessa manages to find a blessedly empty bench and drops down onto it in a stupor.

Scott and _Kaetlyn_!? No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no way. Not possible. Nope. The two of them just don’t fit together. Not aesthetically, not practically, not… existentially. Not in any way that Tessa can possibly begin to comprehend. They’re too… and they’re both so… they just don’t fit!

But, the nagging little voice in the back of her head starts to say, maybe it is possible. Scott had said right from the start that she was a great assistant, incredibly nice, and he’d even called her cute once. It’s possible that during all these months while Tessa had been obsessing over the Semples and fundraisers and auctions and weddings, Scott had been slowly falling for Kaetlyn, and her with him in return.

She should be happy for him. Scott’s always been a serial monogamist and this is the longest he’s ever been single since he started dating his first girlfriend when he was sixteen. It’s only natural that he would be looking for Mrs. Right, she just never expected it to be someone she works with and counts as a close friend.

Once when Tessa was seventeen Scott took her to one of his amateur Ilderton hockey games to watch and cheer him on, and while she was there she’d met his teammate, Lance. Lance had been tall, broad-shouldered, attractive, and he made her laugh, but Scott had hated it and things had been so uncomfortable between the three of them that she eventually broke up with him to save her partnership with Scott. After that, Scott had asked that they promise never to date each other’s friends, and Tessa had agreed – the two of them shaking hands over it in his parent’s backyard before sharing a Coke and a bag of Doritos.

Apparently agreements become moot if they aren’t renewed after ten years.

Bile rises in her throat again, hot and painful and threatening to spill out, and Tessa bends over to put her head between her knees – trying to remember to breathe deeply in and out so that she doesn’t embarrass herself in front of all the nice families whose worldviews _aren’t_ imploding.

Frankly, it’s ridiculous. She shouldn’t be reacting like this. Kaetlyn is a great girl and Tessa has said time and time again that any man would be lucky to have her, and Scott is… well, Scott is the single best man she’s ever known. He’s everything Kaetlyn said he is and so much more. He’s her rock, her sounding board, the voice of reason, the only person who can always make her smile no matter what. He’s kind and generous and funny and such a good brother, son, and uncle. He deserves nothing but joy and tenderness and support and a woman who will love him with everything that she is.      

But Scott can’t be with Kaetlyn. Scott can’t really be with anyone, because the only person Tessa can picture him with is...

It hits her like a cement truck driving at top speed, literally knocking the wind right out of her lungs, and Tessa shoots up off the bench and starts blindly marching in whatever direction she's facing.

_Oh my god!_   _I’m in love with Scott!_

She loves him. She really, truly, deeply, loves Scott Moir. It’s an intense feeling of deep affection, a great interest in him and pleasure in his company and just general existence, and a deep romantic and sexual attachment. It’s all the textbook definitions and more.

It’s the way he smiles just for her, the corners of his eyes scrunching up when he’s really happy. The way he holds her so tight, always there to be her safe space. The way he makes her laugh every single day. His gentle teasing. The fact that he’d danced competitively only with her, gone to university with her, and then jumped into a business with her without question. It's buying her a Marvin the Martian pillow when she was seven, splitting his allowance with her when he was thirteen so they could both splurge on burgers, fries, _and_ a milkshake, defending her from skeevy boys, and shouting louder than anyone else when she’d walked across the stage to accept her diploma.

He’s been part of every major event in her life and ninety-five percent of the minor ones, too. She can’t picture a future where it doesn’t continue like that. Where he isn’t there every step of the way.

She wants him. She wants to hold his hand, to kiss him goodnight and good morning, to make love to him, to tell him about her day and hear about his in return – even though they already spend most of them together. She wants his jokes and his heartaches and his dreams and his body. She wants his love and his future.

“Are you alright, miss?”

Tessa looks up to find that she’d come to a stop in front of a fruit stand, whose vendor is looking at her like she’s crazy. It’s then that she realizes she’s been crying, the tears still falling steadily down her cheeks and dripping onto her striped blouse. She’s smiling, too, which does nothing to lessen the effect of appearing like a mad woman, but she just can’t help it.

She’s in love with Scott!

“I’m fine, thank you,” She smiles at him and buys a whole basket of strawberries, just because Scott always says her hair smells like them.

How could she have been so blind not to see it before? Eight thousand dollars seems like a paltry sum now that she knows her true feelings. He’s worth so much more than that. She’d give every cent she has just to see him again and hear him call her Virtch or kiddo or T or any of the other nicknames he has for her. Even something new! She wouldn’t mind. As long as he was here and close enough for her to hug him and possibly never let go.

Tessa takes a bite of one of the strawberries, ripe and sweet, the flavor bursting in her mouth in a kaleidoscope of flavor, and grins.

She’d tell him. He’d walk into the office with his usual swagger and call out good morning and she’d march right up to him and say, “Scott Moir, I am in love with you. Can I please kiss you now?”

Although, maybe a little less formal. She’ll have to work on the script.

But then the nagging voice in her head returns and whispers, _maybe he doesn’t love you back_.

Sure, he’s very affectionate, but they’ve always been like that with each other. And what she’d said at the wedding and the way he’d spoken to her afterwards… well, she doesn’t blame him if he doesn’t even want to be friends, let alone kiss her like she so desperately wants him to. His absence in the week since their confrontation is a bad sign as well. Surely if he loved her, he would have told her? Scott’s an emotional guy who wears his heart on his sleeve, and she’s never known him not to pursue a woman that he’s interested in.

As if to add salt to the wound, she hears her earlier conversation with Kaetlyn repeat itself in her head.  

_"And are the feelings mutual?”_

_“Well, he hasn’t said so directly, but yes, I think they are.”_

It makes her freeze in the middle of a crosswalk and she nearly gets run over by an angry bicyclist before jumping out of the way and finding wall to use for support – no longer able to keep herself upright on her own.

She's too late. 

Kaetlyn loves Scott, and it’s more than possible he loves her too. There is no happy ending here where Tessa gets to ride off into the sunset with him. There is only her assistant and her business partner _together_ , and Tessa left alone to learn how to live without the only man she’ll ever love, watching him love someone else.

The taste of the strawberries turns sour and Tessa dumps the rest into the nearest garbage bin, unable to stomach the thought of eating another bite.

How is she going to survive this?

But no, she can’t think like that. She’s Tessa Virtue, “beautiful, clever, and brilliant,” according to _Women With Vision_ magazine, and she had sworn to the journalist in that interview that she makes people’s lives better. That doesn’t stop with those closest to her, even though it might break her heart.

Kaetlyn is her friend, and Scott is… well, however she may secretly feel, he’s still her _best_ friend, and she owes it to both of them to be supportive.

Squaring her shoulders and taking a fortifying breath, Tessa starts walking back to her office with a plan. She’s going to be kind and encouraging and smile through the pain and shove her own selfish desires aside, because that’s what friends do when they want their friends to be happy.

As Nat King Cole once said, “Smile though your heart is aching, smile even though it's breaking,” and that’s exactly what Tessa intends to do.

 

 

Kaetlyn jumps out of her chair as soon as Tessa walks in, her words flying out of her mouth before Tessa has a chance to speak, “I’ve been thinking about it and clearly what I told you earlier was a shock and I totally get it if you’re not comfortable with the idea of me and Scott dating. I mean, you’re our boss and it’s a small office and it might make things _super_ weird, not to mention that he’s your best friend, so if you want me to never say anything about it again and move on, I will.”

It’s too easy. Kaetlyn’s laying out the very thing Tessa wants most on a platter, just asking for her to take it. One word and Tessa can stop this whole thing. She might not have Scott, but at least she wouldn’t have to watch Kaetlyn have him either. It’s so tempting and Tessa can feel her heart reaching for it – the impulse to say, “You’re right Kaetlyn, I think it would be better for everyone if we kept our office relationships strictly professional,” is right on the tip of her tongue.

But it wouldn’t be right, and it wouldn't be fair to either of them.

“It did shock me, but I’m not going to tell you no. I have, on occasion, tried to dictate what you can and can’t do and that’s not right. You should be with someone who respects and values you and sees you for who you are. You should date whoever you want to, no matter what I say, and if that person is Scott then,” She swallows around the lump forming in her throat, willing herself not to cry anymore, “Then that’s fine. I am genuinely happy for you.”

"Thanks, Tessa.”

Kaetlyn comes around the side of the desk to give her a hug, and Tessa returns it with a brief pat on the back before stepping away and rushing off to her office, claiming urgent work matters that need attending to.

Shutting her door behind her, Tessa finds her box of tissues and wipes away her tears – pressing hard against her eyes to get them under control. It’s all been a bit of a shock, and she won’t deny that this will be… hard to move on from. But she can handle it. All she has to do is focus on being a good friend and put their priorities above hers and she’ll make it through this. It will be fine.

 

It will be fine.

           

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know Scott was missing from this chapter again, but he'll be back soon!


	17. Chapter Seventeen

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tessa struggles with her feelings and a much-awaited reunion takes place.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please note the rating change for this chapter!

** love, crazy love **

****

_All I need is a little love in my life_

_All I need is a little love in the dark_

_A little but I'm hoping it might kick start_

_Me and my broken heart_

Tessa slams the stereo button so hard she nearly breaks it, spinning it around until she finds an innocuous classical station playing a pretty Mahler piece instead. Apparently lyrics just aren’t her friends right now.  

All week it’s felt like the universe has been mocking her. From the songs on the radio to the reminder that keeps popping up on her phone that she’s supposed to join the Moirs for family dinner on Sunday to her mom asking if Scott’s prepared the quarterly reports yet.

It’s annoying because ever since Monday she’d sworn to herself that she would try to _stop_ thinking about him, and the never-ending reminders are making that very difficult.  

She tried not to think about Scott when she did her weekly grocery shopping and accidentally bought all of his favorite snacks for the office.

She tried not to think about Scott when she needed new shampoo and deliberately bought a brand that smelled more peachy than anything in the berry family.

She tried not to think about Scott when she got an email for five dollar cocktails during the first week of June at Molly Bloom’s to kick off the summer – an offer the two of them normally would have jumped on.

And she’s trying not to think about Scott as she heads into work that morning, but her attempts to redirect her thoughts to happy Friday related things are not working. The harder she tries _not_ to think about him, the more reminders seem to pop up, and by the time she reaches the office her hands are gripping the steering wheel so tightly her knuckles have gone white.

_You can do this, Tessa,_ she breathes, closing her eyes and taking a minute to steady herself, prying each finger off the wheel one by one. It takes a conscious effort every morning to get out of her car and face Kaetlyn’s bright smile and untroubled, upbeat attitude. It also doesn’t help that now that her secret’s out of the bag, she seems to mention the object of her affection at every opportunity she gets.

If she has to hear another fiduciary joke that he told Kaetlyn, she’s going to get in her car and drive over Niagara Falls.

But Tessa’s trying to be good, so she grabs the two cups of coffee she’d gotten from Black Walnut, along with the box of donuts from Spicer’s Bakery she’d picked up all the way out on Lambeth street, (she swears neither trip was an attempt to put off going into the office) and heads inside.

“Good morning,” She announces her presence with as much joie de vivre as she can muster, setting the donuts and coffee down in front of Kaetlyn and whipping off the lid of the box with a flourish, “I brought treats.”

“Those look delicious, Tessa!” Kaetlyn’s already eying the Boston cream, and Tessa nudges the box towards her in encouragement, pleased when her assistant takes it with an eager smile. “What’s the occasion?”

“Just feeling happy that it’s Friday, that’s all,” Tessa shrugs, snatching the chocolate cake donut with chocolate frosting and sprinkles for herself. She’s going to need all the chocolate and sugar in the world to get through the day. In fact, she wouldn’t be surprised if the overall sugar consumption in the greater London area has exponentially increased in the past week. Her stomach certainly feels like it.

“Is Scott coming back today?” Kaetlyn looks up from her treat with wide, hopeful eyes, and Tessa’s breath hitches, making her pause for a moment before she can answer normally.

“I don’t think so. I still haven’t heard from him. Why? Have you heard from him?”

_Please say no_ , she silently pleads. Better for neither of them to have heard from him at all, than to find out he’s been in secret communication with her.

“No. It’s just that you bought two maple glazed donuts and those are his favorite.”

She did? Tessa glances back at the box again to check and yep, sure enough there are two maple glazed donuts staring back at her. She hadn’t even realized she’d picked them out at the bakery.

“That was just habit, I suppose,” She waves dismissively, hoping that Kaetlyn doesn’t catch the tremor in her voice. She is _done_ crying, and she isn’t about to start back up again in front of her assistant who will only press her until she finds out why. “I’ll be in my office if you need me. Lots to do today!”

Tessa grabs another chocolate donut and makes her escape. There isn’t really lots to do. It’s a Friday at the end of a week in which Tessa had spent every minute of every hour at her office working on all the tasks she could possibly think of. Answering emails, replying to clients, setting up meetings, writing a new blog post ( _How to Get Over Someone You Never Dated_ ), and cleaning every single surface from top to bottom. Twice.

There’s just not enough left now to keep her hands busy and her mind from wandering. And letting her mind wander is a dangerous thing.

She keeps having dreams about catching Scott and Kaetlyn making out in various places and positions around the office. Images that continue to haunt her throughout the day and leave tired bags under her eyes. Driving her to seek exhaustion at the gym each night, working hard until she can barely manage to walk out of the building in the hope that she’ll be too tired to dream, only to then dream about catching them on the mats at the gym instead.

More than anything though, it’s the not knowing that’s driving her crazy. Anxiously awaiting the moment that Scott will return and admit he and Kaetlyn are together and put her out of her misery. Well, not out of her misery exactly, more like bringing resolution to one form of misery and thrusting her into the depths of another.

But no, this is exactly what she’s been trying not to dwell on, and conveniently her computer keeps bugging her about needing updates, so Tessa switches gears and gets back to work, focusing on the things that she can control.

It’s going fine until it gets stuck on forty-seven percent for over half an hour, and Tessa starts to worry that she’s somehow managed to break something just by clicking a few buttons and restarting when it told her to.  

She leaves it to run through lunch, hoping that it will fix itself while she’s gone, but when she gets back the number still hasn’t changed so with a heavy sigh she squares her shoulders and marches into Scott’s office to find the contact information for their I.T. department.

Being in the room without him is unnerving. It’s so cold and everything is eerily untouched and the smell of his cologne no longer lingers in the air like it used to. It feels like he’s nothing more than a ghost, or worse, like he never existed at all.

She hates it.

Tessa grabs the rolodex that she always teased him about stubbornly refusing to upgrade from the corner of his desk and practically runs from the room, closing the door behind her and sagging against it like she’d just made a narrow escape.

She might be cleaning that space out soon, if Scott decides he can’t stomach working with her anymore, and the thought makes her blood run cold.

No! She’s not thinking about that.

She finds the business card she’s looking for and calls the I.T. department to put in a request for help as soon as possible, then tugs on her yellow rubber gloves and gets to work cleaning the bathrooms. They have a janitorial service, but she needs the distraction more than they do.

“Tessa?” Kaetlyn calls out after a little while, her voice echoing around the tiled walls as Tessa scrubs the pipes underneath the sink clean. They’d built up some flecks of rust and she figured that was probably a bad thing that she, as the boss, should be taking care of.  

“Yes?”

“Trennt with I.T. is here to fix your computer.”

“What?” She hits her head against the underside of the sink in her rush to crawl out and stand up, and she rubs at it as she turns to face Kaetlyn. It didn’t even occur to her that they might send him over. “I’m coming.”

Kaetlyn looks a little pensive and pale, but not mad, and Tessa takes that as a good sign that her assistant isn’t too shaken at the sight of her old beau. Even so, it’s probably best if she isn’t hanging around the young man she used to date – that would be tough for anyone, even though it’s been many months since then.

“Can you put everything away? I’ll go show him what’s wrong.”

Kaetlyn looks grateful to be given something else to do as a distraction, and Tessa leaves her to take care of everything as she runs out to find Trennt.

He still looks the same, standing in the foyer in his company polo and with that same messenger bag slung over his shoulder, and he greets her with that same friendly, dimpled smile. She can’t remember why she didn’t like him. He seems so… nice.

“Thank you for coming. My computer has been stuck trying to update all day. I must have done it wrong.”

“No problem. I’m sure it’s an easy fix. Lead the way!”

Tessa takes him back into her office and he heads straight for her desk, sitting down in her custom chair like he owns the place – and yet, it’s without any pretense or arrogance, and she begins to doubt he possesses an ounce of either negative trait. He just seems comfortable in his knowledge of his work. Is it possible she misjudged him?

“So, Trennt, it’s been a while since we’ve seen you at the office. What’s new with you?”

“Um… not much,” He continues clicking around, working whatever technological magic he possesses, “I’m back in school.”

“Oh yeah? Studying for your Bachelor’s degree?”

“Masters, actually, in computer science. It’s just part time during the summer right now, but come fall I’ll be full time again.”

That is no small thing, and Tessa sits down on the arm of her couch, quietly impressed. “Wow. That’s pretty amazing.”

“Thanks,” He takes a second to grin over at her, pleased at the compliment, “It was actually your partner Scott’s idea.”

“Scott?” What on earth could he have to do with this? And can’t she get through a single conversation this week without hearing his name?

“Yeah. He said there was no reason why I couldn’t try to advance in the I.T. field, since I’m so good at it already. He helped me apply for Mrs. Virtue’s in-house scholarship program.”

Of course he did. All this time she’s been so obsessed with matchmaking while he was out there actually helping people take real, concrete steps towards making their lives better. Not that her fundraisers weren’t worthwhile events, but on the personal level she’s been failing at every turn. “That sounds like him. I didn’t know you were such good friends.”

“We hang out sometimes. He’s a cool guy.” Trennt shrugs in that casual way guys do and continues working, while Tessa merely hums in agreement. “We watch the Leafs games sometimes. I didn’t know he could swear that much.” He laughs and Tessa’s surprised to find herself joining in. She believes it. There’s little Scott cares about more than his beloved Leafs, except his family.

“You’re a Leafs fan, too?”

“Of course.” He holds up his keys hanging on a lanyard with the Maple Leafs logo all over it by way of explanation, and Tessa chuckles.

“I hope that the rumors that they’re going to try to sign Tavares next year are true.” She only knows the rumor because Scott told her (about twenty times, knocking on wood each time so as not to jinx it), but she’s grateful to know it now as she tries to make conversation with the young man she’d unwittingly hurt last fall.

He perks up excitedly and grins, “Oh man, me too!”

She was wrong about him. When Kaetlyn had started dating him she’d easily dismissed him as a trivial person. Assumed that his interest in Kaetlyn was superficial and that it wasn’t serious because he was working in a dead-end I.T. job and taking her mini-golfing instead of treating her to fine cuisine. But that had been her own ignorance and prejudice. He’s getting his Master’s degree, for goodness sake, clearly he knows about hard work and commitment. And mini-golf is a fun date for anybody – she shouldn’t have acted like it was inferior to dining out at an elegant restaurant.

“There ya go!” Trennt scoots away from her desk and gets up, “It’s all done. Windows just gets glitchy sometimes when it hasn’t been upgraded for a while. I’ve turned on automatic updates for you now.”

“Thank you, Trennt.”

“Just doing my job,” He shrugs, but his cheeks go a little pink at her earnest expression of gratitude. She has no idea, but she imagines I.T. is often a thankless job.

“Still, I appreciate it. Make sure you grab a donut on your way out. They’re in the break room.”

“I will. Thanks!”

He walks out of her office with a jaunt in his step that wasn’t there when he came in, and Tessa feels slightly better. She may have hurt him before, even if he doesn’t know she was the cause, but she’s trying to make amends in any way she can. Compliments and donuts aren’t a perfect salve, but they’re a start.

She checks her computer, making sure it’s running as smoothly as he said (not that she doubts him), and answers a few emails – getting absorbed in a particular one about a business convention in Montreal in a few weeks that she’s invited to. It’s a full week long and it will probably be nothing but an endless supply of boring meetings and seminars, but it would also be a good excuse to escape for a while. And she loves Montreal.

“Tessa?” Kaetlyn knocks quietly on the open door, making Tessa jump. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you.”

“You didn’t, I was just lost in thought. What’s up?”

“Did Trennt get your computer fixed?”

“Yes, everything’s running perfectly now. I’m sorry I asked him to come here,” She adds with a wince, “It didn’t occur to me that when I called the I.T. department he might be the one they sent over. I hope it wasn’t too uncomfortable for you to see him again.”

“No, it’s fine. Um…” She starts fiddling with the buttons on her shirt and picking at a loose thread dangling from one of them, like she’s trying to find exactly the right words to say and is worried about messing them up. “Actually he asked if I wanted to go grab dinner at Moxie’s and catch up. I thought maybe since it’s been a slow day today you wouldn’t mind if I left early.”

Is this a good thing? A bad thing? Should she be worried about Kaetlyn’s emotional health spending a Friday night with an ex? She seems awfully nervous, but maybe she’s only nervous because Tessa had been so against them dating before. Should she say something?

_Stop it Tessa!_ This is exactly what she’d sworn she wouldn’t do anymore. Kaetlyn is an adult and she can take care of herself and if she wants to get dinner with him, she should. “If you want to leave early, that’s fine with me. I hope you have a nice time.”

“Are you sure?”

“Absolutely. Have fun!”

“Thanks!” Kaetlyn grins and leaves to go find Trennt, leaving behind an even louder silence than there was before.

Now what does she do? Kaetlyn was right. It has been a slow day and she doesn’t have anything to occupy her for the rest of the evening, and the prospect of sitting alone in an empty office for a couple more hours isn’t exactly appealing.

Normally on Friday evenings she’d head into Scott’s office and they’d discuss what movie they’d be watching at her house and what they wanted to eat for dinner, but obviously that won’t be happening now. For all she knows he’s in Morocco or Tunisia or Thailand watching movies with someone else.

And going to the gym just sounds depressing. A solitary run on the treadmill doesn’t sound enticing right now, and she hates cardio on a good day.

No, she needs something more creative than that. A way to express herself and burn up some of her restless energy and keep her distracted. And she knows just the solution.  

 

 

A few students meander out the doors of Sam’s studio while the others linger on the sidewalk waiting for their rides and chatting with friends as the setting sun casts long shadows on the cement. They're all laughing and having fun, and Tessa wishes she were among them.

He has a contemporary dance class tonight that she’s aching to join. The idea of moving to the beat of the music, feeling the emotions flow through her as she uses her body to create art - it sounds like the perfect way to get out of her own head and hopefully start the process of moving on. And if that fails, at least she hopes it will help her sleep better.

“Tessa!” Sam greets her as she enters the building with his customary kisses on each cheek and a wide smile, his dark beard scratching her skin, “It’s lovely to see you. No Scott with you tonight?” He looks over her shoulder like he’s expecting her partner to walk in at any minute, and Tessa feels a lance of pain shoot through her heart.

“No, he’s out of town. It’s just me tonight.” _Just me forever_ , she tacks on bitterly, trying not to let her inner monologue reveal itself on her face. She keeps her smile firmly glued on, even though it’s starting to feel more like a scowl.

“Well it’s lovely to see you, but I’m afraid classes are over tonight.”

“What? But you had a contemporary class listed online.”

“Oui, but that was the old schedule. I switched some things around last week. I am sorry that you did not know, I’ve been slow to update the website.”

“Oh,” She can’t hide her disappointment. She can dance at home, of course, but it doesn’t feel the same as it does in the studio. It’s harder to stay focused in her living room without the hard floors and mirrored walls and the smells of sweat and work out gear.

“But if you want a room, I might make an exception for you. Just this once,” Sam winks and Tessa starts to smile genuinely again.  

“Really?”

“Sure,” He laughs, reaching for her hand and placing something small and metal inside her palm, “Here’s my spare key, just make sure you turn everything off and lock up when you go.”

She grabs him in a spontaneous hug, and he freezes for a moment before returning it with another little laugh. “Thanks, Sam. I really need this tonight.”

“Yes, I can see that you do. Bonsoir, Tessa.”

She gives him another set of kisses goodbye and then she’s left alone. It’s not as distracting as it would be if she were surrounded by other dancers, but it will do.

She finds the classroom she’s most familiar with and flips on the lights, stepping inside the room where just a few weeks ago she and Scott were laughing and dancing the tango. It feels like a lifetime ago now - before parties and weddings and insults and declarations of love changed everything – and yet the room hasn’t changed at all. If she closes her eyes, she can still picture that night as clearly as if it was happening right in front of her.

She’d been so happy that night. Everything had felt so _right_. She knows now that it’s because it had been a sampling of everything she didn’t know she wanted. Everything she’s now lost.

Terrified of being left alone with those thoughts any longer, Tessa plugs her phone into the stereo system and scrolls through her Spotify playlist of songs that she normally likes to dance to, but finding with mounting frustration that none of them feel right. They’re all either too peppy or too rock and roll or too eighties. Nothing that properly fits the mood she’s in.

Sam Smith’s _Not in that Way_ stands out to her the minute she sees it, but she moves right on past it – trying to find something less depressing.

She starts and stops a half-dozen songs, but each time when she begins trying to move to the music it just doesn’t flow right. She can’t connect to any of them.

Sighing in defeat, she scrolls back to the Sam Smith song and presses play.

It’s slow at first, almost too slow, but as it continues she finds herself instinctually dancing along. Just her arms at first, but soon followed by her torso and legs. Finding the nuances and listening for the cues in each note and line. Letting the haunting melody flow through her like she’s a conduit for the singer’s message of heartbreak and loneliness and regret.

Maybe it’s a little melodramatic, but she’s allowed to indulge her sorrows given the magnitude of what she’s about to lose.

_I’d never ask you_

_‘Cause deep down I’m certain I know what you’d say_

_You’d say I’m sorry_

_Believe me_

_I love you_

_But not in that way_

The gentle guitar comes to a stop, the last note briefly lingering in the air before fading out, but the sound of someone crying continues on and it takes her a minute to realize that the sounds are coming from her.

As soon as the realization comes that the tears are her own, the floodgates open and she starts to sob like she never has before, standing in the middle of the dancefloor with her arms hugging her torso. Her body heaving with the effort of keeping itself together.

"Is that part of the choreography, kiddo?” A tender voice asks from behind her and Tessa spins around, nearly tripping on her bare feet and falling in her haste to see him. To make sure she isn’t going crazy and starting to hear things. That he’s actually there.

He’s standing a few feet inside the room with his hands shoved awkwardly in his pockets, like he’d started walking towards her and then been afraid to come any further. His favorite black Detroit Tigers baseball cap is turned around on his head, and his clothes are wrinkled like he’d been sitting for a while – traveling, maybe - but she doesn’t care. He’s the best damn thing she’s ever seen in her life.

With another sob she runs across the room and throws herself at him, burying her face in his chest and holding him as tightly as she physically can. If it were possible to climb inside him, she probably would do that, too, just to keep him near her forever and make sure he can’t ever leave her again.

He returns the hug without hesitation, and it brings a fresh set of tears to her eyes. Maybe he doesn’t hate her after all.

“I tried calling you,” He murmurs into the hair on top of her head, his lips brushing her scalp, and Tessa squeezes him impossibly tighter.

"My phone’s plugged into the stereo. I can’t get any notifications when it’s like that.”

“I tried the office first, but you weren’t there.”

“Yeah, I closed up early today.”

“I know, Kaetlyn told me. I went to your house next, but when that was dark too I figured you must be somewhere comforting. This seemed like the most _Tessa_ choice.”

Her heart soars that he knows her so well, before tumbling back to the ground at his casual mention of Kaetlyn. He’d spoken to her. Talked to her first. Perhaps things are already settled between them now. Maybe this is the last time she’ll get to hug him like this.

She starts crying again against her will, and Scott presses a kiss on the top of her head and rubs soothing circles into her back. It’s both wonderful and terrible all at once.    

“Time will heal your wound, Tess. It’ll be okay.”

“My wound?” Does he know? Did he somehow guess that his connection to Kaetlyn is breaking her heart? Is she really that obvious that somehow in the last five minutes he’d guessed she was in love with him and mourning the loss of him all at once?

“I saw the Instagram post on Wednesday when I finally turned my phone on again. I’m sorry for shutting you out. If I’d known sooner…” He sighs and Tessa waits for him to continue with mounting confusion. She has no idea what Instagram has to do with anything. “I… The way he treated you – both of you – was seriously messed up. I’m so sorry that you were hurt and that I didn’t catch on soon enough and stop it. I was too blinded by – well, it doesn’t matter. I’m just sorry.”

Tessa turns her head, propping her chin up on his chest so that she can look at him, “You’re talking about Andrew and Kait.”

“Of course,” He nods seriously, brushing some of her hair out of her eyes and tucking it behind her ear, and Tessa lets out a little chuckle in surprise. He thinks she’s heartbroken over _Andrew_. Oh, what a mess.

“Scott, no. I mean, yes, Andrew’s behavior was wrong and borderline inappropriate at times, but there was never anything more between us than friendship.”

"But I saw the way you were together,” Scott protests, and she can’t blame him for not believing her, but it’s the truth.

“I know. It’s mortifying to think of that now. I’ll totally understand if Kait hates me forever. But it was only ever friendliness on my part, I swear.”

“But I saw him kiss you at the wedding.”

“What?” Tessa leans back a little so that she can look at him better, taking in his furrowed brow and downturned lips. She has to fight the urge to smooth out his features with her fingers. That would be crossing a line. “No he didn’t.”

“Yes he did. By the arch before the ceremony,” He insists, his fingers flexing into her back and digging in a little as his features seem to darken at the memory, but Tessa can only laugh. She was right!

“So you _were_ there! I thought I saw you.” She leans back far enough to jab him in the sternum, but refuses to put any more space between them than that, “You shouldn’t have disappeared without saying something. He kissed me on the cheek. It was nothing.”

Scott goes quiet for a moment and Tessa takes the opportunity to snuggle back into his chest. So far he hasn’t pushed her away, and she refuses to move as long as he’s willing to let her stay in his embrace. He smells so good and his arms feel like home – she isn’t going to give that up without a fight.

“So you’re not here crying over Andrew?” He still sounds so adorably confused, and Tessa scratches her fingernails back and forth across his back in an attempt to comfort him.

“No. I’m embarrassed about the whole thing, but I’m not sad.”

“Then why were you crying?”

“Because,” She gulps, grateful that her position means he can’t see her face, “I was afraid I’d never see you again. That you were so mad at me you were going to quit and never come back.”

“Tessa Virtue,” He chastises gently, leaning back just enough that he can wipe the rest of her tears away with his thumbs before holding her face firmly in place where her eyes can’t escape him, so that she’s forced to see the honesty in his. “There’s nothing you could ever say or do that would make me leave you forever. I went to Calgary with Charlie and Jordan to visit Danny and take some time to think.”

“Calgary!? Why didn’t Jordan tell me?” She can’t believe she didn’t guess that. She’d assumed he was in Ilderton, but of course he would have gone with Charlie. He so rarely gets to see his oldest brother, and there’s no better place to run away to than two thousand miles across the country.

“I asked her not to. I turned my phone off and asked for my location to be kept secret because I was trying to figure out some things about you and I needed space. But it turns out hanging out with Jordan makes not thinking about you practically impossible. You’re freakishly similar sometimes.” He tries to laugh it off and she knows he’s hoping she won’t dig any deeper into what he’s just said, but she has to. It hurts to hear him say point blank that he was trying to forget her, and she needs to know what’s going on in his mind before the secrets legitimately drive her insane.

“Why were you trying not to think about me? You’ve been the only thing on my mind for weeks. It was torture not talking to you.”

Scott takes a deep breath that she feels in her own body, gearing up to say something important, “Because I have something I need to tell you, and I’m not sure how to say it. I wasn’t going to say anything at all, but then I heard about the Andrew fiasco and I felt hopeful again for the first time in weeks, so I came back. I came home. I knew I couldn’t keep it inside any longer. Tess –“

“Don’t.” She stops him, physically pushing him away and stepping outside of the safety of his arms. He’s going to tell her about Kaetlyn now, and she can’t bear to hear it. She thought she could be strong and play the part of a platonic, supportive best friend, but she can’t. She just can’t.

“What?” Scott stares at her, the look in his eyes oddly pained. His arms are still lifted out in front of him, just waiting for her to return, but she takes another step backwards.

“Don’t say something you can’t take back and that we might both regret.”

“I –“ His voice is strained and his hands fall empty to his sides, clenching uselessly, “If that’s what you want, then I won’t.” He spins around and walks away, kicking the garbage can by the door and sending it crashing to the floor as he goes.

_Damn it!_ She’d sworn to be a better friend to him and yet she’d shut him down in his moment of need. What kind of friend refuses to be a confidante? Even if it will be painful to hear. Even if it breaks her heart.

“Scott, wait!” She chases after him and grabs his hand, stopping him halfway out the door. “That was rude of me. You were going to say something important and I stopped you when I shouldn’t have. You’re my friend and as your friend I will listen to anything you want to tell me.”

“Tessa,” He twists back around and tugs her hand up to his chest, pressing her palm flat over his heart, “I don’t want to be your friend!” He cries out in exasperation, and Tessa flinches violently – withdrawing like she’s been slapped.

She knew it. She knew his return and that hug were too good to be true. He’s still mad at her because of the wedding.

“You don’t?” Her voice is small and god, she’s going to start crying again. “I tried to fix things with Suzanne, Scott, I did! I’m helping her grow the jam business and we had dinner this week and she said she forgave me and –“

“No, T, no,” He interrupts her, stopping her runaway speech and running his free hand through his hair, “That’s not what I meant. I love being your best friend. Our friendship is the best thing in my life and always has been, but I want us to be _more_.”

“I don’t understand.”

Scott reaches for her other hand and pulls it up to his mouth, pressing a gentle kiss to her palm, and her head fills with white noise when she stops breathing at the tender gesture. “I’m not good at speeches. You know better than anyone my tendency to put my foot in my mouth. Maybe if I loved you less, I could talk about it more,” He lets out a little self-deprecating laugh and her heart swells to ten times its normal size. She feels like one of those huge parade balloon animals that take a whole crew to keep from flying away.

“You what?” She gasps when he doesn’t immediately continue, her throat suddenly drier than the Sahara.

Can it be possible? Is he really saying what she thinks he is? Is he actually…?

“I’m in love with you, and I know this is new for you and there’s a very real chance that you don’t feel the same way and if that’s the case then I’ll figure out how to move on because your friendship matters more to me than anything, but if there is even the slightest chance that I can win your heart, Tess, I’ve gotta take it, because the truth is I gave you mine a long time ago.”

He’s got both her hands caught in his with a vise-like grip and he’s stepped in close enough that his forehead is almost touching hers, and she can’t breathe. Can’t even think. It’s all too good to be true. “Is this a dream?”

“I hope not because it was hard enough getting that out the first time and if I have to do it all over again I –“

She lunges at him, smashing her lips against his in the sloppiest, most wonderful kiss of her life. It’s messy and uncoordinated and their teeth clack against each other, but after he gets over his initial shock Scott tilts his head to fix the angle and wraps his arms around her in a bone-crushingly tight embrace. It’s almost painful, yet somehow Tessa only wants him to hold her tighter. If they only do this for the rest of their lives, she’ll die a happy woman.

“So you’re saying there’s a chance,” He jokes when they finally break apart for air, keeping his eyes closed like he’s afraid if he opens them she’ll disappear, yet grinning at her as they both try to get their breathing under control - their chests heaving against each other. His grip on her doesn’t loosen and he presses his forehead against hers. Like he’s as afraid to let go as she is.

“Yes,’ Tessa laughs, tears streaming down her cheeks now for an entirely different reason, “Yes, yes, yes. There’s more than a chance.” She leans back so that she can look at him, green eyes finding his familiar light brown ones, “I’ve been so blind, Scott. To the feelings of everyone around me and to my own. But the I was talking to Kaetlyn the other day and something she said forced me to look at my own heart, and do you know what I found there?”

“What?” He whispers, bumping his nose against hers and smiling so sweetly she thinks she might burst.

“You.”

“Good.” His lips find hers again and Tessa sinks into him like they were always made to fit together this way. Her hands finding their way to his hair of their own accord, tangling in the dark strands and in the process scratching his scalp, and a violent shudder runs through his body.

Tessa files that information away in a newly created folder in her mind labeled “how to turn Scott on” and she can’t wait to expand the contents as quickly as possible. She wants to spend the rest of her life adding to that list.

Scott breaks free and whispers her name, an urgency in his voice that she’s never heard before and that sends a thrill through her body, and she starts peppering kisses along his jawline until she reaches a spot under his ear and sucks.

“ _Tess,”_ Scott says again, louder this time and more insistent, his hands clutching at her like she’s a lifeline, and Tessa mentally adds that spot to the folder too.

“I’m a little busy at the moment.” She works a mark into that spot, bright red against his skin. It’s a little juvenile and definitely possessive, but she can’t help it and Scott doesn’t seem to mind at all.

“I’m not complaining just… maybe you want to take this somewhere else?” He sort of flicks his head towards the dance room, as if to suggest it isn't the best place for a rendezvous, and Tessa grins mischievously.

“You mean,” She kisses his collarbone, “You want to lock up,” She kisses his Adam’s apple, “Get in _separate_ cars,” She scrapes her teeth along the underside of his jaw, “And drive across town to my house,” She kisses the corner of his mouth, “When there’s a perfectly good floor right here?”

“You want to – here?” He gulps and Tessa rolls her hips against his, just because she can, eliciting a primal groan from him. He reciprocates in kind and she moans into his mouth, kissing him for all she’s worth.

“Yes. I don’t want to wait another minute.”

Maybe it’s not a giant bed with comfortable sheets and pillows and candles and mood music, but there’s something poetic about the place they came together to dance being the place where they finally (hopefully) come together.

“You’ve been waiting for this?” Scott asks eagerly, his hands finding her ass and squeezing, “How long?”

“Consciously? About a week. Subconsciously? Since I was fifteen.” There’s no point in lying, even if it’s embarrassing to admit, but it only seems to spur him on.

“ _Fuck_.” He presses his lips to hers again and as she gets absorbed in the kiss he moves them backwards across the room like they’re doing a coordinated dance step until she’s pressed against the wall of mirrors.

He uses the leverage to slot his thigh between hers, encouraging her with his hands and mouth to grind against his thigh, which she happily does. Her brain is overloaded with an endless back and forth of _I can’t believe we’re doing this,_ and _Oh my god, we’re doing this!_

“How long have you known?” She gasps when he finally gives her a chance to breathe again, dragging his lips down her throat - tilting her head and tugging her collar to the side so that he can run his mouth across her collarbone and shoulder.

“That I’m in love with you?” He asks, pulling back so that they can grin at each other like idiots, “Pretty much since I was seventeen.”

“But… but that’s twelve years!”

“Believe me,” He groans, tilting his hips into hers so that she can feel his erection more fully through his pants, “I know.”

“But you never said anything!”

“I knew you didn’t feel the same way and I figured it was better to be your best friend than to risk losing you by saying something you weren’t ready to hear.”

Twelve years. She can hardly believe he’s been pining for her that long. It makes her feel simultaneously wanted and guilty, all at once. To think, maybe they could have been together all this time if he’d said something and she’d opened her eyes sooner to her own feelings instead of dismissing them as basic curiosity.

“So what changed?”

“Andrew. I guess I should thank that asshole for reminding me it was possible to lose you. I’d gotten so used to our life the past two years, I just assumed it would stay like that. I grew complacent. Then he showed up and I thought –“

“You were jealous.” She reaches up to stroke her fingers across his jaw, pressing her thumb against the spot that clenches when he mentions the other man. It’s such an obvious tell, how did she miss it before?

“Well…”

“All this time, I couldn’t figure out why you didn’t like him. This makes so much sense. You were jealous,” She gloats, tracing the shell of his ear before playfully tugging on the lobe.

“Yes, I was jealous. Happy?”

“Incandescently.”

She kisses him again and Scott starts working his hand underneath her shirt. It’s a heady feeling, knowing that he wants to touch her, that he’s _going_ to touch her, and she him in return. She hardly knows what to do with herself or where to start. Except there’s one thing she definitely has to do before they go any further.

His fingers find a particularly sensitive spot on the lower left of her back and she jerks forward with a giggle. “Wait, wait, wait. I have to say it right first.”

“Say what right?” Scott continues moving his hands over her stomach and up her ribs, and Tessa sucks in a breath, her eyelids briefly falling closed, before she can manage to speak again.

“I am in love with you, Scott Moir.”

There. She said the words plain and simple and straightforward. There can be no mistaking her or her feelings now, and it’s like a load has been lifted off her shoulders.

“And I’m in love with you, Tessa Virtue.” He returns with an easy smile, pausing for a moment to brush his lips against hers in the sweetest kiss she thinks she’s ever received. Light and tender and full of promise.

They stare at each other for a moment with stars in their eyes before their mutual desire takes over again and his hands return to their goal. His left hand spans her ribcage – his thumb just barely grazing the underside of her breast – and Tessa whimpers just as Scott groans at the revelation that she isn’t wearing a bra.

It had seemed superfluous, given that she doesn’t need much support while doing the slower dance moves she’d had planned, and she’s grateful for that particular foresight now.

“Fuck, Tess, I want you so much.”

“Well that’s convenient,” She pants, hitching her leg up around his waist so that she can grind her center against the now quite prominent bulge in his jeans, managing to give him a coy smile, “I want you, too.”

He runs his thumbs over her nipples just once before sliding his hands back down her sides and around to cup her ass, kneading briefly before encouraging her to hop up and wrap both legs around his waist.

It’s a much better angle now, his cock pressed directly against her center with only a few layers of fabric between them, and Tessa grinds her hips experimentally – paying close attention to what makes him react the strongest.

“Tess,” He groans, nipping at her shoulder and making her whimper and rotate her hips against him as best she can, “This is gonna be over way too soon if you keep doing that.”

“Then let me down.”

He does as she asks, even though part of her wishes they could have kept going. She’s so turned on right now she might spontaneously combust, but if that happens before she sees him naked she’ll be royally pissed.

He’s still kissing her, but she breaks free so that she can tug at the hem of his shirt until he leans back just enough to give her what she wants, pulling it over his head with one hand and tossing it aside, sending his baseball cap flying in the process and making both of them laugh. It’s a miracle it had stayed on as long as it had.

His chest is lean and muscular and she instantly wants her mouth on it. An impulse she realizes she’s allowed to follow now, so she happily does. Leaning forward to plant a kiss above his heart before circling her tongue around one of his nipples. Scott gasps and jerks his hips against hers, and she rewards him by scraping her nails down his abs to the waistline of his jeans - licking her lips as she pops the button and carefully pulls down the zipper, not missing the way Scott’s breathing picks up.

“Are you sure, T?” His voice is breathless and raspy in a way that shoots straight between her legs and almost has her literally going weak at the knees. She’s never heard him sound like that before, and it _does_ something to her. She wants him to only talk like that when he’s with her from now on. 

“One hundred and ten percent.” She shoves his pants and boxers down without hesitation in one fluid motion and his cock springs free.

Finally, after years of wondering, she gets to see it. And in the best context she ever could have hoped for. It’s slightly above average in size, a good girth, and there are a few prominent veins, just like she’d predicted.

Can a dick be perfect? She’s never thought so before, but somehow Scott’s is.

“Are you… um… gonna say something or –“

She starts at the sudden sound of his voice again, realizing that she’d been wordlessly staring at him for far too long, and looks up at his face. He looks almost bashful, a shy blush spreading high on his cheeks, like he’s waiting anxiously for her approval, yet also proud of what he's got. Of course he’s confident about it, and why wouldn’t he be?

“What do you want me to say?” She smirks, lightly trailing her fingers across his erection in a move deliberately designed to torture him a little bit.  

Scott’s eyelids flutter closed and she runs her thumb across his head, gathering the moisture that’s collected there before wrapping her hand more firmly around him and slowly pumping her hand up and down, increasing the pressure with each pass.

“That you’re sexy?” She leans in and presses a kiss to his left pec. “That I want you _so much_?” Another one to his right. “Do you want me to say, ‘I love you’?” She steps in close to whisper the last one, pressing her other hand flat over his heart, and Scott surges forward and smashes his lips against hers, kissing her within an inch of her life.

Her hand leaves his dick to cling to his back under the onslaught of his mouth and hold him close while he kisses her, but it seems to have been his intention to distract her because as soon as her hand disappears he steps back and kicks his jeans and boxers off the rest of the way and then drops to his knees in front of her.

“You’re overdressed.” He gestures to her still fully clothed body, and her brain short circuits at the sight of him between her legs. It looks like the dream she’d been so terrified of telling him about is actually going to come true. Life never ceases to surprise her.

“What are you going to do about it?”

“Fix it, of course.” He runs his hands up her legs from her calves to her hips, tucking his fingers underneath the stretchy fabric at the top, but he doesn’t start to remove them just yet. Instead he runs his hands back and forth just underneath the waistband, and somehow that’s almost sexier. The tantalizing promise of _almost_ and _soon_ that sends all her blood rushing between her legs in preparation for him.

She wants him so badly – to the point where she just wants him inside her, everything else be damned. She can feel where she’s already soaked through her underwear, which means she’s probably wet enough without any more foreplay to take him, but he seems to have other ideas.

He kisses her over her leggings above her mound, dragging his tongue along the seam of the material until he’s breathing over her clit – hot and heavy gusts that have her shuddering above him. He licks her once through the fabric and it’s just enough sensation to drive her mad.

She throws her head back and it hits the glass with a scary cracking noise, and Scott pulls back abruptly, making her cry out at the loss.

“Fuck, Tess, are you okay?”

“I’m fine,” She gasps, not even feeling any pain, “Keep going. _Please_.”

“Hang on, get down here first. I don’t want to have to take you to the E.R. for oral gone wrong.”

“Or very right, depending on how you look at it,” She winks, joining him on the floor. It sounded scarier than it was and her head feels fine, but if he prefers her lying down then that’s how she’ll be. Anything for him to continue.

Scott laughs and helps maneuver her so that she’s lying down on her back before peeling her black leggings and plain green underwear off her legs, baring her to him for the first time.

She fights the urge to close her legs, a flush spreading from her face down her chest, despite his own nudity. As curious as she’d been about him, she’d never given much thought to the fact that he would be seeing her.

“God, Tess, you’re gorgeous,” He says, bending her legs and spreading them obscenely wide until both knees are pressed against the floor, his hands running up and down her thighs as he stares in amazement, “I knew you’d be perfect here, too, just like everywhere else.”

“You’ve thought about it?” He nods and a thrill shoots through her. So he _was_ as curious about her body as she was about his. Somehow that makes her even more aroused, and she relaxes a bit more under his gaze.

“You’d probably be mad if I told you just how much I’ve thought about it.”

“I –“ She swallows thickly, her brain struggling to keep up with so many new revelations, “I won’t be mad.”

“Even if I told you that I thought about it during Midori’s wedding, when I was yelling at you? Thought about taking you right there in the garden, unzipping just enough of that strapless red dress so that I could kiss your breasts,” He slides his hands up, taking her shirt with her, until her breasts are finally revealed to him. She doesn’t move, even to close her legs, instead handing over complete control and relaxing in the knowledge that he’ll take care of her.

His thumbs stroke over her nipples and Tessa bites back a moan, arching her chest into his touch.

“Don’t. I want to hear you. I’ve thought about that, too. What sounds you’d make when I did this.” He leans down and runs his tongue directly through her folds and Tessa cries out, her thighs clamping around his head so tight that he’s forced to let go of her breasts so that he can pry them back open.

“Scott,” She gasps, scrunching her eyelids shut at the sensations he’s creating in her body. It’s too much. His tongue is everywhere as he devours her like it’s something he’s been dreaming about for a while, which apparently if he’s to be believed, it is. And it overloads her senses. 

"I thought about this on our date, too,” He pulls away from her center to pepper wet, open-mouthed kisses on the inside of her thighs while working a finger inside her, smirking against her skin when she clamps down on it involuntarily. “God, Tess, dancing the tango with you like that again was… I was taking cold showers for days afterwards.”

“Really?” She manages to ask, her voice coming out completely wrecked. She can picture them in this room, his hands all over her while the sultry music played, and it makes her wetter. They should dance the tango again. Naked this time.

“Mmhmm,” He hums against her and she shivers, “Thought about it back at your place too. It was almost better there, actually. The sight of you getting ready for bed after everything. It was so intimate and domestic – everything I’ve ever wanted. I almost lifted you up on the counter and kissed you then.”

He slides a second finger in next to the first, continuing to slowly drive her towards the precipice, and Tessa whimpers, “Scott, please.”

She makes the mistake of rolling her head to the side where she can see them in the mirrors, and it’s mesmerizing. His head between her thighs, their naked bodies writhing in the bright lights, the sight of herself as she makes the sounds he so desperately wants to hear.

Scott slips a third finger inside her and moves his mouth back to suck on her clit, flicking his tongue against it just right, and Tessa comes with a loud cry, her whole body arching around his head as she gushes onto his lips and fingers.

She collapses with a huff, throwing an arm over her eyes to defend herself against the suddenly too bright fluorescent lights – her senses too heightened to handle anything in its extreme. “Fuck me.”

“I thought I just did,” He chuckles, kissing his way up her body and sending goosebumps across her skin from each place his lips touch. Pausing to latch onto one of her breasts for a minute and work a mark into the underside of it until she pulls him off her and up for a proper kiss.

“Remember when I said I love you?” She asks, breathless and momentarily sated.

“Yeah?”

“I _really_ love you.”

He laughs, full-bodied and joyous, and Tessa can’t help but join in. The two of them dissolving into peals of giddy laughter that make her hyper-aware of the way their naked bodies are currently pressed together.

_Naked Scott_. Who would have thought even an hour ago that she’d end up here? That the two of them would end up together?

He lays down carefully on top of her, content for the moment just to cuddle, and she buries one hand in his hair while the other one roams freely across his back – tracing his spine and counting all his ribs. Memorizing every bit of him that she can reach.

“Scott?” She scratches the base of his neck and his dick twitches against her thigh. He lifts his head up to smile down at her, his eyes radiating warmth and love in what she knows must be a mirror image of her own.

“Yeah, T?”

“I’m really happy.”

“Me too.”

“But I’d be even happier if you were inside me.” She’s ready and she doesn’t want to wait any longer to finally share this last part of herself with him.

He grins and makes a giddy, delighted sound in the back of his throat, nodding before positioning his hips between hers and reaching between them to line himself up. “That would make me very happy, too.”

He starts to push himself inside, but he’s barely entered her an inch before he’s pausing and withdrawing with a frown.

“What’s wrong?”

“We don’t have a condom.” He sounds so sad as he begins to move away, and Tessa almost lets him go as a joke before she takes pity on him – laughing and using her legs around his waist to pull him back in and keep him locked in place.

“I’m on the pill, I’m clean, and I trust you.” She explains, answering his questioning glance, and Scott tentatively starts to smile again.

“I’m clean, too. I haven’t been with anyone in years, and I’ve been tested since then.”

“Nobody?” That genuinely surprises her. She’d assumed he was at least picking up girls at the bar occasionally. She wouldn’t blame him if he had. He’s hot and from what she’s always guessed, pretty virile, it would only make sense.

“Nope. Why look somewhere else when I already knew I wanted you?”

He says it so earnestly, like it’s the most obvious answer in the world, that her heart practically leaps out of her chest and she grins up at him, “I haven’t been with anyone since college, even though I was a blind fool who couldn’t see just how amazing you are.”

“Not gonna argue with that,” He winks, lining himself up again. He presses another kiss to her lips and whispers, “I love you, Tess,” and pushes inside.

It’s been so long that he feels huge inside her, a delicious stretch that has her moaning his name, and they both have to take a minute to adjust to the feeling again before he’s able to start moving. He pumps in and out of her slowly at first, but steadily increases the pace as she gets louder and responds more enthusiastically.

He slips one hand underneath her back to help support her spine and keep it protected from the hard floor, while the other one ends up by her head so that he doesn’t crush her, and Tessa turns her head to press a kiss there while he thrusts rhythmically – her own hips arching up to meet his.

“I’m close, T,” He groans, leaning down to give her a sloppy kiss on the mouth, their tongues tangling together for a minute before he breaks free with a gasp, “Are you?”

"Almost.” She removes one of her hands from his ass to find her clit, rubbing in circles the way years of experience have taught her she likes best, and it doesn’t take long for her after that to find release. Her orgasm exploding behind her eyelids as she clamps down around Scott, triggering his own climax.

He barely has the presence of mind to avoid collapsing directly on top of her, instead falling slightly to the side, and they lay there together gasping for air in blissed out silence.

She just had sex. With Scott. She and Scott just had sex together in their old dance studio.

A round of giggles breaks free and Scott turns his head to look at her, questions written plainly all over his face.

“What is it?”

“We just had sex!” She practically shouts, giggling again, harder this time – her shoulders shaking uncontrollably, and Scott rolls onto his side so that he can pull her body in close and kiss her cheek with amused affection.

“I know. I was there.”

"That was not badly done, Mr. Moir," She states with mock solemnity, feeling free to joke about his words now that she's secure in the knowledge that he's forgiven her and that he loves her, but her attempt at sobriety doesn't last long and soon Scott's smothering her laughter with more kisses. 

"You're so ridiculous." He murmurs against her with a grin, and she finds one of his hands and knits their fingers together. 

Tessa looks down at her crumpled up shirt, still tucked under her armpits, “If I’d known this was going to happen I’d have showered and shaved and worn something nicer.”

“I don’t need all that,” Scott waves his free hand in the air, pressing a kiss into her shoulder, “But if you’d like to shower, I’d be more than happy to accompany you.”

He playfully licks the droplet of sweat running down her neck before surprising her by hauling her leg up over his hip so that he can stroke up and down the inside of her thigh while they both continue to recover. It keeps her skin tingling and sensitive, instead of giving her a chance to come down completely, and she can’t but help think it’s deliberate on his part.

She intends to chastise him, or coax him into going another round, she’s not sure which, but she gets distracted by what she can see in the mirrors.

Out of her peripheral vision she can see him tilt his head to look up at her, his mouth opening to ask her something, but then he notices her stare. “What are you looking at?” He cranes his head to follow her gaze where it’s directed behind him, “Are you checking out my ass?”

His entire backside is exposed in the mirrors and Tessa turns bright red at having been caught.

“It’s a very nice ass,” She says almost apologetically, and Scott bursts out laughing.

“Thanks.”

“I just like looking at you,” Tessa adds, probably only embarrassing herself further, but Scott just preens and kisses her sternum, right over a patch of freckles.

“I like looking at you, too. Let’s go home and we can look at each other as much as we want.” He gets up, unashamed of his nakedness, and Tessa lays there for a minute just staring at him before he reaches out and helps her stand up too.

“Really?” She asks, giddy and hopeful, and he nods.

“There’s no getting rid of me now, Virtch. You’re stuck with me.” He hauls her in close and kisses her solidly on the mouth and Tessa smiles against his lips.

Stuck with him? She likes the sound of that.

 


	18. Chapter Eighteen

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "...The wishes, the hopes, the confidence, the predictions of the small band of true friends... were fully answered in the perfect happiness of the union."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: there is explicit smut at the beginning of this chapter.

** perfect happiness **

****

The warm yellow light of late morning is peeking through the blinds, gently prodding Tessa awake, but she snuggles further into the pillows – fighting the reminder that she should probably consider getting out of bed at some point.

She can’t remember the last time she slept in this late, or a time she was ever this comfortable and so completely at peace, and she wants to bask in it for as long as she possibly can.

Which is, of course, when her phone starts to ring. The classic notes of _Wannabe_ by the Spice Girls cutting through her quiet serenity and jolting her to full awareness, letting her know that Midori is calling. It had been their go-to Karaoke song in college (and only when Tessa was very, very drunk) and she’d never had the heart to change the ringtone even after they graduated.

“Tess,” Scott grumbles from behind her, his voice low and scratchy from sleep and other things. Things that have Tessa feeling sore and satisfied and mindlessly shifting her hips a little bit against him. His breath tickles the hairs at the base of her neck and sends goosebumps across her shoulders. “Turn it off.”

“I’m trying,” She swats around uselessly at her nightstand, trying to find the offending device, before leaning over as far as his arms will allow and grabbing it just as the screen goes dark.

She sighs with relief and moves to put it back, but it lights back up again almost immediately.

“Put it on silent,” Scott shifts behind her, slipping his leg between hers and moving the hand that had been resting low on her stomach up to knead her breast, making Tessa’s breath stutter and her heart do a backflip.

She would have thought that after thirty-six hours of basically non-stop fucking – only taking the necessary breaks to eat, pee, and sleep – she’d be worn out and completely devoid of any arousal left in her body, but Scott’s fingers plucking expertly at her nipple prove otherwise. It’s like her body was made to respond to him.

The phone falls onto the bed, getting lost in the fluffy comforter that she loves so much, and she reaches out behind herself to find his ass, using the leverage to grind more determinedly against his thigh. It’s really much more than “very nice,” and Scott seems to love when she puts her hands on it – rubbing his rapidly hardening cock against her own ass in return.

“Mmm, good morning,” He hums, pressing his lips into the crook of her neck, and she sighs and leans back a little further into him, granting him better access to the front of her body.

“Good morning.” Tessa twists her head around so that she can give him a kiss, his tongue immediately stroking her lips and encouraging her to open up for him. “Do you think we’ll actually leave the house today?”

Scott smirks against her mouth and drags his hand from her breast down over her stomach to bury itself between her thighs, his fingers leaving a trail of fire in their wake, and she can feel him grin even wider when she moans and thrusts into his touch.

“I hope not.”

He’s just worked a finger inside her, kissing her so intently that she’s pretty much forgotten her own name, when her phone chimes three times in quick succession.

“Ignore it.”

“I can’t. What if it’s important?” She pulls away apologetically and digs around until she finds her phone, the screen bright with three new messages from Midori.

**Midori:** I’m here.

**Midori:** Where are you?

**Midori:** It’s almost noon, I know you’re awake. Pick up your phone!

“Oh shit,” Tessa opens up the messages properly so that she can type a reply, all thoughts of sex with Scott momentarily pushed out of her mind by the huge mistake she’s made. Midori is probably so pissed, and she has every right to be.

“What’s wrong?” He props himself up behind her, brushing her hair off her shoulder so that he can see the screen more clearly.

“I was supposed to meet Midori for Sunday brunch.”

“Oh. Oops!” She feels him shrug without remorse before his fingers return to their task, and Tessa struggles to concentrate as she formulates a good excuse for bailing on her best friend.

**Tessa:** So sorry! I forgot. I’m not going to be able to come this morning.

Scott snorts, clearly having read her message, and when he speaks his voice is sinful. “You’d better be able to.” His fingers do that clever twisting thing he’d discovered somewhere between her kitchen island and the couch in her living room, and Tessa moans.

**Midori:** You better have a good excuse. Everything okay?

“I have an idea.” Tessa smiles coyly and leans back again, making sure the sheets cover everything properly, before taking a selfie of herself grinning and Scott tucked into her shoulder. It’s dimly lit and barely shows anything more than their heads, and she sends the picture with the caption: _look who’s back in town._

No sooner has the message been delivered than she starts receiving a barrage of texts – each one just a progression of wild keyboard smashes until Midori’s picture lights up the screen again.

“She wants to FaceTime.”

“Okay,” He agrees easily, but does nothing to move his hand away from her and instead starts nipping at her shoulder and neck – sending tiny shockwaves through her body with each scrape of his teeth.

“That means,” She stutters, starting and then stopping while she tries to gather her wits, “That means you should probably stop. We don’t want to give her a show.”

Scott laughs, slipping his fingers out of her and moving them to a much safer location on her hip, and Tessa whimpers at the loss. Part of her had been hoping he’d say “screw it” and tell her to throw the phone across the room.

Tessa presses the answer button just as Scott surprises her by sliding his finger through her folds again, whispering, “We don’t?” in her ear, and she promptly drops the phone.

Midori can be heard calling her name loudly through the speaker, and it takes everything Tessa has to push his hand away amidst his throaty laughter and pick it back up.

“Are you two decent?” Is the first thing out of their friend’s mouth, and Tessa turns beet red at the implication they’re anything but (even if she’s not wrong). It’s still taking her some getting used to to think of herself and Scott as more than just friends.

“Not at all,” Scott answers gleefully, propping himself up on his elbow so that they can both talk to her, and Midori slaps her hand over her eyes.

“Oh my god. Scott’s really there! This is really happening!”

“Yep,” Tessa replies eloquently, her blush rapidly spreading down her body. She really shouldn’t have answered the call – Midori will never let her live this down.

“Fucking finally!”

Scott bursts out laughing while Tessa’s mouth falls open at their friend’s exclamation. That was not what she’d expected to hear at all. She'd been anticipating a million and one questions, not immediate, enthusiastic acceptance.

"You saw this coming?”

“Tess, honey,” Midori shakes her head and smiles like she’s full of infinite wisdom, “There are only like three people in the world who couldn’t see that you were in love with him, and _you_ were one of them. I’ve been waiting for you to wise up since college.”

"But you encouraged me to date Andrew!” Tessa practically shouts, tugging the sheet up higher on her body and shifting so that she can better glare at her ex-best friend turned traitor and secret keeper. How could she have almost let her make what would have been the biggest mistake of her life? 

“No, I said you’d make a cute couple and that whatever happened, I’d support you. I never _actually_ said you should date him.”

Tessa gapes at her. That is so not the impression she’d gotten during their conversation before the bachelorette party. Thank god she ended up not actually having feelings for Andrew or this situation could have been a whole lot messier.

“Can we not talk about him, please?” Scott groans, his head falling onto her shoulder, and Midori chuckles.

"Aww... He’s engaged, Scott, remember? There’s no need to be jealous anymore,” Midori teases and Scott looks up again – taking his turn to glare at her. Apparently neither of them were very good at hiding their feelings from her. She’s too perceptive for her own good.

“Maybe you should be the matchmaker for the Virtuous Lifestyle Group,” Tessa suggests, voice dripping with sarcasm, “Since you’re so good at it.”

“Nah, too much drama,” Midori winks. “Anyway, I’ll let you two get back to whatever you were doing. Which I assume was playing a nice, family-friendly game of Scrabble.”

“That’s right. The last word I was working on was O-R-G-A-S-“

Tessa elbows Scott in the ribs before he can finish while Midori just laughs at them. “Sorry I forgot about brunch.”

“No worries Tess. Congratulations on finally figuring your shit out. I’ll talk to you tomorrow.”

Tessa hangs up and tosses the phone aside before rolling over to glare at an entirely unapologetic Scott. She opens her mouth to chastise him, but he swoops in and kisses her instead – using his expertise to make her forget why she was embarrassed in the first place.

“We should get up.”

“I’m already up,” He pushes his hips into hers, his erection prominent against her abdomen, and grins at his cheesy joke.

“Not what I meant.” Tessa’s laugh turns into a moan as he latches onto the spot underneath her ear, giving her a mark there to match the one he’d put on the other side the night before, “I mean get out of bed.”

“Why would we do something so ridiculous?” Scott works his way down to her collarbone and Tessa finds it increasingly difficult to follow the conversation.

“Because we haven’t showered and we’re gross.” It comes out sounding more like a question, and Scott laughs.

“Excuse me, but I’m quite proud of us, thank you. It takes a special kind of stamina to make you come so many times, and I intend to do it again.” 

His hand snakes around her thigh and hoists her leg up over his waist, and she grinds her hips against his.  

“I’m not _complaining_ , I’d just like a shower and some fresh sheets.”

Scott perks up at that and he stops kissing her for a moment so that he can lean back and ask, “Can we shower together?”

“Do you promise to behave if we do?”

“Not at all.” 

Tessa groans and pressed her head against his chest, “I’ve created a monster.”

“Unleashed would be a better term. I was here all along just waiting for you.”

“How is that both sweet _and_ hot?”

“It’s a gift.” He smacks her ass before rolling away and climbing out of bed, leaving her feeling oddly bereft.

His body is covered in funny lines from where the sheets and pillow had pressed into him during the night, not to mention his fair share of hickeys and even a few scratches she thinks she gave him that time up against the wall in her hallway, and Tessa blatantly admires the way his muscles flex as he walks towards the en-suite.

“Aren't you coming?” He asks when he realizes she hasn’t gotten out of bed yet, and she scrambles after him.

In her bathroom mirror underneath the bright white lights, she can see that her own body hasn’t fared much better, and she arches her back and stretches out her sore arms – popping her joints in more than a few places. “It’s like we were in a war.”

“A very sexy war,” Scott winks at her from where he’s testing the temperature of the shower, and Tessa grins and starts brushing her teeth.

“Here,” She grabs an extra toothbrush from the cupboard and drops it into the holder between the double sinks, “This one can be yours.”

Scott freezes, his eyes landing on the innocuous brush like it’s something significant, and Tessa bites her lip and ducks her head when she realizes the implication. She might as well have just asked him to stay over every night and cleared out two of her bedroom drawers.

Maybe she will.

“Thanks,” He finally manages to say, the two of them smiling shyly at each other in the glass, and Tessa’s heart starts beating erratically again. She’s not sure it will ever return to normal when she’s around him now.

“You’re welcome. Shower?”

“It should be warm enough now.” He nods and starts brushing his own teeth.

Rather than dwell on how right it looks, him naked and brushing his teeth in her bathroom, Tessa jumps into the safety of the shower and starts shampooing her hair – taking extra time to massage the roots.

The hot water feels amazing on her aching muscles and she luxuriates in the feeling of each one slowly loosening up under the steady barrage. She’s going to have to start stretching or something before Scott comes over, if this is going to be the end result.

“God, you’re hot,” Scott mutters, and she opens her eyes in surprise to find him standing in the shower staring at her with unconcealed desire.

“Thank you.” She’s blushing again at his blatant appraisal of her naked body and it’s so stupid considering they pretty much haven’t worn clothes since Friday night, but she can’t help it. She likes feeling desired in general, who doesn’t? But desired by _Scott_ is something else entirely. He has this way of looking at her like she’s the only thing that exists in the world and the effect is heady and makes her feel powerful.

“Here, let me.” He rinses the rest of the shampoo out of her hair and gently applies the conditioner, working her strands through his fingers before massaging the base of her neck and shoulders – rubbing out the kinks that had formed there.

It feels so nice that she could almost fall asleep if it weren’t for their location. As it is, she finds herself swaying slightly and her eyelids drooping, contented little sighs and hums escaping her mouth with each pass of his fingers.

That is, until he rinses the conditioner out and sweeps all her hair to one side before kissing the top of her spine, and suddenly she’s wide awake again – a jolt of arousal shooting all the way down her back and between her legs.

“Scott,” She murmurs, chin falling towards her chest as he continues peppering kisses between her shoulder-blades. His fingers are grazing lightly down her spine, taking their time and making her jumpy with anticipation. “I want you.”

He hums against her skin and continues trailing his path down her back until he reaches her ass. She expects him to stop there, but he continues, tracing lightly between her cheeks before cupping her from behind, and the moan she lets out borders on pornographic.

“How do you want me, T?”

“Like this.” She widens her stance and bends forward, propping her hands up on the wall for support before thrusting backwards and simultaneously grinding onto his hand and up against his erection.

“Hard or soft?” He nips at her shoulder and strokes between her legs with feather-light touches, driving her insane with need.

“Hard.” She gasps, trying to encourage him to increase the pressure without success.

“Fast or slow?” He drags his tongue up her neck and over beneath her ear, and she whimpers, her legs nearly buckling underneath her.

“ _Fast_ ,” She whimpers, “ _Please, Scott.”_

He lines himself up before finding her hips with his hands to keep her steady and slamming home in one long thrust, her cunt contracting violently around the sudden invasion. Tessa scrambles for something to hold onto, her hands slipping against the wet tile, and Scott lets go of one of her hips to tangle their fingers together on the wall.

His pace is brutal, but it’s exactly what she asked for, and she meets him thrust for thrust, crying out when he scratches the back of his nails across her abdomen before finding her clit and rubbing it in wild circles that have her moaning a litany of expletives interspersed with his name.

“With me, Tess...Want it...  _ungh_... together,” Scott grunts, rubbing the heel of his hand into her clit while his fingers graze her opening around his dick, and she does. Falling apart around him with a gush – the contractions of her orgasm triggering his own.

He’s barely finished when he abruptly pulls out of her and she almost asks what he’s doing when suddenly he’s pushing on her back, encouraging her to bend down further, and then he drops to his knees and covers her with his mouth – lapping up their shared juices as they leak out of her. She’s so sensitive that she cries out with every pass of his tongue, clenching every time he dips inside her cunt, until Scott takes pity on her and wraps his arms around her lower back, effectively keeping her folded in half, and sucks on her clit in hard, rhythmic, staccato bursts.

It’s too much. The sound of the water pounding around her, the warmth of it on her back, the way she feels completely surrounded by him and totally at his mercy. His hands scratch down her back, hitting that spot on the lower left side of her body that makes her keen, and Tessa whines mindlessly under the onslaught of his ministrations until all of the sensations combine into another explosive climax hot on the heels of her first one.

She comes with a shout, nearly collapsing onto the tile if not for him holding her up, and he works her through it with long strokes of his tongue over her folds again, drawing out her orgasm and making every muscle in her body shudder and twitch.

Her legs do give out eventually and she drops almost comically onto her hands and knees, turning over so that she can sit and look at him where he’s kneeling proudly across from her.

He’s got a twinkle in his eyes and a smug grin on his face, his lips and chin soaked, and she realizes with a start that he’s covered in her. In _them._

Maybe it should be gross, but instead she feels another impossible burst of arousal.

“I think you might kill me,” She pants, still gasping for air, and Scott laughs and wipes his mouth off with the back of his hand before leaning forward through the spray of the water and kissing her.

It’s wet and messy and he tastes like them, and Tessa whimpers when he strokes his tongue against hers. He’s only just becoming half-hard again and they could stop now – get out and get dressed and actually be productive members of society – but there’s something else she’d rather do first. A little tit for tat, as it were.

“Stand up,” She commands, her tone brokering no room for argument, and Scott clambers to his feet, quirking an eyebrow at her when she doesn’t follow.

Instead she gets up on her knees, ignoring the way the tile digs into her skin uncomfortably, and moves towards him. It’s totally obvious what she intends to do, and she smirks up at him when she sees his dick twitch in anticipation.  

“I’ve thought about this, you know,” She confesses, taking him in hand and slowly working him up and down.

“You have?” His voice comes out strangled and Tessa rewards him by sucking lightly on his tip before continuing.

“I’ve been wondering what your cock looks like for years.” She lingers on the word, emphasizing the hard ck at the end, and Scott groans. She licks a long stripe on the underside of him and his head falls backwards onto the wall with a thunk.

“Jesus, Tess. Seriously?”

He’s into it, her talking, he wants to know. And while she’s never been much for dirty talk before (it always seemed too intimate somehow), he seems to be drawing all sorts of new and surprising things out of her this weekend.

“Yes. I almost asked if you’d let me see it so many times. Every time I felt you against me while we danced, it was all I could think about. Used to imagine walking in on you in the dressing room. Used to wonder how you liked your blow jobs.”

“I –“ He stutters and gasps when she sucks hard and twists her fist, “I probably would have let you look if you did ask.”

“Hmm,” She pulls off him to think it over, scratching down the back of his leg from his ass to his knee, making him tremble, “I don’t know if I could have looked without touching.”

To prove her point she tightens her fist around him and picks up the pace, and Scott starts thrusting his hips into her hand.

“I would have let you do that, too,” He manages to say, his eyelid twitching in what she assumes is an attempt at a wink, and she laughs. “But only if you let me reciprocate.”

“You’ve done enough reciprocating. Right now it’s my turn.”

She takes him in her mouth again as far as she can and swallows, her throat constricting around him, and Scott’s hands fly to her hair. The water is still pounding, a cacophony of noise and the soundtrack to their love-making, and Tessa feels hot and wet in more ways than one.

Running the back of her fingernails up the insides of his thighs, she cups his balls in her hand before reaching beyond them to rub his perineum, and his hips shoot forward – forcing her to release him with her mouth as he comes all over her chest in long, white stripes.

“Fuck, Tessa! Fuck, fuck, fuck,” He’s gasping as he sags against the wall, his body depleted, and she climbs up off her aching knees with a huge grin and wipes her index finger through the mess before popping it into her mouth – making him groan and cover his eyes with his hands. “Now who’s killing who?”

“ _Reciprocation_.” She winks, finding her vanilla body wash on the shelf and lathering it all over herself.

Scott watches her with hooded eyes while she cleans herself up, making no attempt to move, and Tessa figures she might as well wash him off too while he’s just standing there.

“Bring your stuff next time,” She suggests as she spreads the soap all over his abs, stroking and admiring the muscles there more than actually washing anything, “So that you don’t always smell like vanilla after you stay over.”

“I don’t mind smelling like you,” He smirks wickedly, his eyes flashing, and Tessa feels a tug low in her stomach.

“We really can’t go again," She warns, "I can hardly walk as it is.”

“I’ll carry you everywhere.” Scott answers easily, his thumb stroking her nipple, but Tessa bats his hand away.

“That’s sweet, but not very practical. I need to go see Kaetlyn today and tell her about us, and I need to go alone. You can't carry me there.”

Scott frowns, despite turning around so that she can wash his back, “You act like you’re telling her about a death in the family. This is a _good_ thing.”

“It is a good thing, it’s just that she deserves to hear it in person from me directly.”

She’d contemplated telling him everything. All about the two weeks he’d been gone and Kaetlyn’s confession and the agony over thinking they were together, but ultimately she’d decided against it. It wasn’t her secret to tell, and it might be easier for Kaetlyn to forgive them both and move on if she knows Scott is blissfully unaware of her feelings.

“Whatever you think is best,” He kisses her lightly before stepping under the spray to rinse off and Tessa steps out of the shower, grabbing a fluffy towel off the rack and wrapping it around herself before heading back into the bedroom and into her walk-in closet to get dressed.

What do you wear to break your friend’s heart? Is all black too obvious? She pictures herself showing up with a big hat and pearls like the funeral in _Steel Magnolias_ and almost starts laughing. It’s really not funny though, and in the end she goes with black jeans and a faded Rolling Stones t-shirt, tying her hair up in a quick top-knot.

She’s always so dressed up at work, professional and immaculate and _adult_ , but today of all days she wants to appear young and casual and non-threatening. Just one friend having a conversation with another. It’s also why she’d decided not to wait until Monday to talk to Kaetlyn. This is a conversation that really shouldn’t happen at work. Kaetlyn deserves to be able to react however she wants, without concerns about professionalism.

“So I’ll swing by later to pick you up and we can head to Ilderton together?” Scott peeks his head around the corner, already dressed in his t-shirt and jeans from Friday – his wet hair dripping onto the neckline – and Tessa desperately wishes they could stay in today and she could avoid this whole painful thing.

“Yep, sounds great!” She tries to sound cheerful and enthusiastic, but her voice falls flat and she grimaces.

“Are you sure you don’t want me to come with you?" He walks over and winds his arms around her waist, dropping a soft kiss to her shoulder. "You seem pretty nervous about this. I really don’t think Kaetlyn will care. She’s our friend.”

_Our friend who I basically stabbed in the back_ , she mentally winces. “You’re probably right. It’s just a big change. I hope she’s okay with it.”

“I’m sure she’ll be fine.”

He kisses her again, one kiss turning into many before she finally pushes him away with a laugh.

“Go home and change. I’ll see you in a few hours.”

 

****

 

Kaetlyn’s apartment is all the way across town in an unassuming red brick building in the suburb of White Oaks, and Tessa makes the drive there with mounting apprehension. There’s no conceivable way that this conversation could go well. Frankly, if she leaves today without needing to look for a new assistant, she’ll count it as a win.

“Kaetlyn, I am so sorry for what I’m about to say,” She rehearses out loud, sitting in the parking lot with her seat belt still on – her palms growing increasingly sweaty as she tries to work up the nerve to get out of the car and walk up to Kaetlyn’s door. “I never expected this to happen, but Scott and I are in love. We’re together.”

Should she mention the love bit? Does that make it better because their feelings aren’t trivial, or does that make it worse because they’re rubbing it in Kaetlyn’s face?

Ugh. Why doesn’t someone write manuals for this sort of thing.

_Come on, Tessa, suck it up and get it over with_.

She finds her way to apartment 1252 and knocks on the door. There are loud noises and laughter coming from inside, and she swallows around the lump in her throat. It hadn’t even occurred to her that Kaetlyn might be having guests over. There's no way she can do this in front of an audience.

The sounds stop, like a movie was paused or something, and the door swings open.

“Tessa!” Kaetlyn cries out in surprise, “What are you doing here?”

She doesn’t sound or look upset to see her, smiling like she is, but she also seems nervous about something and that in turn makes Tessa feel more nervous.

“I needed to talk to you about something. Is now a bad time?”

“Um…” Kaetlyn looks over her shoulder and Tessa follows her gaze, shocked to find Trennt sitting on the couch with a game controller in his hand, whatever they were playing paused on the TV. He waves at her with a slice of pizza in his hand, and Tessa tries not to let her surprise show on her face.

“You have company.” She points out the obvious, and Kaetlyn’s cheeks turn pink.

“We were just hanging out,” Kaetlyn rushes to explain, as if she has to defend herself, “Do you want to come in? There’s a ton of pizza over there on the coffee table.”

“No, that’s okay. It won’t take long. Is there somewhere private we could go though?”

“Sure. Let me just grab my shoes and we can walk over to the park.”

She scampers off to retrieve her sneakers and Tessa stands awkwardly in the doorway, trying and failing not to stare obtrusively at Trennt. He’s the last person she expected to see today, and she can’t seem to quite get over the shock of it. When did they become friends again? Or... are they  _more_ than friends? 

“Um… how are you, Trennt?”

“Pretty good. Kaetlyn’s kicking my ass at Crash Bandicoot, but other than that can’t complain.” He grins and takes another bite of his pizza, and Tessa can’t come up with a response to that. She’s not even sure what a Crash Bandicoot _is_ , but he seems pretty happy to be here playing it with her.

“Ready!” Kaetlyn announces as she walks back into the room, and Tessa follows wordlessly as she leads them outside and across the parking lot to the little playground built there for the residents. “What did you need to talk about? Is this about work?”

“No, not exactly.” Now that the moment's here, Tessa seems to have forgotten everything she’d practiced on the drive over. Has her brain ever been this foggy? Or her tongue felt this heavy? Not a single word from her speech remains and she sits there grasping for somewhere to begin. “How are you feeling?”

She shuts her eyes and tries not to groan. How could she ask something so idiotic? Kaetlyn squints at her, but kindly doesn’t call her out on her weird behavior.

“I’m good. How are you?”

The words fall out of her before Tessa can stop them. “I’m good. Really good actually, which is kind of why I’m here. Because the reason I’m really good might not make you good, you know? But I feel like I should tell you because it _is_ a good thing, although you might not think so –“

“Tessa!” Kaetlyn cuts her off with a laugh, “What are you trying to say?”

“Scott’s back in town,” She hedges, staring very intently at the lady bug that’s landed on her knee and counting each dot on its back twice.

Kaetlyn goes tense and sits up a little straighter, and her voice is tight when she asks, “Does that have something to do with why you’re good, but I might not be?”

Tessa gulps and nods, finally looking over at her, “Scott and I… well… we… you see, the thing is –“

“You and Scott are together,” Kaetlyn surmises, her hands clenching and unclenching where they rest on her thighs, and Tessa reaches out impulsively and grabs onto one of them, needing the connection.

“How did you know?”

“Well, it was kind of obvious that you had feelings for him, otherwise you would have been more encouraging when I first told you about my crush, and it’s obvious I wasn’t the first person he came to see when he got back into town. And to be completely honest,” She hesitates, looking up at the cloudless sky, and Tessa takes it as a good sign that she hasn’t shoved her hand away yet. “I did a lot of thinking after my dinner with Trennt on Friday, and I started to realize that all of Scott’s actions could be attributed to him just being nice."

“Perceptive," Tessa nods with a small smile, practically gnawing on her bottom lip, "Are you mad at me? Because I completely understand if you are.”

Kaetlyn shakes her head slowly, “I’m not mad. I’m sad you didn’t just tell me last week, but I understand.”

“I’m so sorry, Kaetlyn. Thank you for being so understanding. I promise there will be no PDA in the office, we’ll keep it entirely professional.”

They can get through an entire work day without being all over each other, right? Surely that's not an impossible goal, despite their inability to keep their hands off each other at home. 

“That’s okay, Tessa, if you love someone you should let them know any way that you can.”

Tessa squeezes her hand in gratitude. How can she possibly be so kind about all this? “I promise I won’t make any more assumptions about your feeling or your love life. I’ve been wrong about _everyone’s_ feelings, including mine. So many times. Forget everything I ever told you. Do whatever is best for you.”

“Actually… about that,” Kaetlyn smiles softly to herself and glances back towards the apartment building, “You may have noticed Trennt.”

“He was hard to miss sitting on your couch,” Tessa chuckles, nodding in encouragement. Whatever Kaetlyn wants to tell her, she'll listen. She's been working on that.

“I think there’s still something there between us, even though I broke it off last fall, and I think I want to pursue that.” She sounds tentative and looks at Tessa like she’s waiting either for approval or a swift reprimand, but Tessa throws her arms around her in a tight hug instead.

Honestly, this outcome is a million times better than she ever could have hoped for, and she feels like she's flying. Now they can  _all_ be happy together. 

“You deserve to be happy,” She tells her, holding on a little tighter and smiling, “And if Trennt makes you happy then I support you one hundred percent.”

“Thanks, Tessa. I hope Scott makes you happy, too.”

“He does,” Tessa lets her go with a blush, trying not to think about just how happy Scott had made her that morning. Those kinds of thoughts are wildly inappropriate for a sun-drenched park bench at a children’s playground. “See you at work tomorrow?”

“Yep!” Kaetlyn nods, her curls bouncing like the physical embodiment of her good spirits, “I’ll see you there!”

 

 

The act of telling Kaetlyn lifts a heavy weight off her shoulders, and Tessa rolls down her windows and blasts the most upbeat pop songs she can find as she drives straight to Scott’s apartment, rather than heading home and sitting around waiting for him to show up.

She wants to run, skip, and sing. Frolic in a field of wildflowers or roll down a grassy green hill. She wants to _dance_.

“Tess?” Scott opens his door with a surprised, but happy smile, “Did everything go okay with Kaetlyn?”

“Better than okay!” She leans up on her tiptoes to kiss him, an action Scott is only too happy to reciprocate. “Let’s go!”

“Go where?”

“To Ilderton. Let’s go now, I don’t want to wait to tell them any longer, and Alma could always use more help prepping for the barbecue with the way you and your brothers eat.”

“Hey!” Scott protests, but she fixes him with a look and he acquiesces. He knows that she’s right – the Moir boys eat enough to feed a small army.

“Okay, fine. Let’s go.”

Her excitement starts to fade a little on the short drive, though. What if the Moirs aren't pleased that she's dating Scott? She  _is_ his business partner, and mixing business with pleasure is usually something that's frowned upon.

Scott, for his part, seems completely unfazed, the wind blowing through his hair while he sings Blake Shelton songs at the top of his lungs, and she tries to absorb some of his carefree attitude via osmosis - linking their fingers together where his hand rests on his thigh.  

“They’re going to be happy, right?” She asks nervously as they pull into the driveway, and Scott scoffs. 

“Of course they will. My family _adores_ you. Probably more than me.”

“That's not true," She swats his shoulder, but can't help the smile that spreads across her face. She loves his family just as much. "Should we rehearse some sort of announcement before we go in? I don’t have anything prepared.”

“You’re so neurotic sometimes,” He gently teases, stroking the back of her hand affectionately, and Tessa rolls her eyes and sticks her tongue out at him, feeling the anxious knot in her chest begin to loosen. 

“And you’re too insouciant.”

“Ouch. Insulting me with your big words,” He throws his hand over his heart, pretending to take offense, and she can’t help but giggle. "I can't keep up with that." 

“Maybe we’re just too different,” She jokes, leaning over the console to kiss him, but Scott pauses before her lips can meet his.

“Maybe it’s our imperfections that make us so perfect for each other.”

He's teasing, but his tone is gentle and earnest, too, and she grins and closes the distance between their mouths, winding her free hand through his hair and holding him in place while she relishes the easy moment between them before they have to go into the house and face his family. 

Scott deepens the kiss, leaning practically halfway onto her side of the car while his hands make their way underneath the hem of her shirt to rest hot and heavy on the skin of her stomach. It’s so easy to lose herself in him, and Tessa finds herself wondering what the chances are of convincing him to drive down the road a bit until they can find somewhere to have a quickie in the backseat before facing his family.

Suddenly there’s a loud tapping on the windshield, and they both break apart to find Charlie staring at them through the glass looking like the cat that got the canary.

“Come on, lovebirds,” He shouts, “Stop groping each other and get out of the car! There are kids out here!”

Behind him the rest of the family is standing on the porch staring at them with wide eyes. Jordan is holding baby Emmaline and looking at them in triumph (Tessa knows she’s going to be thoroughly grilled by her sister before the night is through), Joe is standing next to Danny and his wife and kids, who drove back from Calgary with Charlie for a summer holiday, and all of them are looking at them both in shock, meanwhile Alma is smiling happily through very obvious tears of joy.

“Oh my god.”

“Guess we don’t need to come up with a speech now," Scott states matter-of-factly, the tips of his ears turning pink. 

She buries her head in her hands and groans, “This is so embarrassing!”

“Nah, it’s not that bad. Remember that time my mom walked in on us practicing the Rumba when you were sixteen and she thought we were doing something _very_ different?”

“I remember,” Tessa blushes. Her leg had been wrapped around Scott’s waist while he bent her over backwards and it had led to a very uncomfortable lecture from Alma about appropriate boundaries and having doors open whenever they practiced.

“Maybe we can distract them all with a water fight and finally have our rematch.” He wiggles his eyebrows at her and shoots her a roguish smile before unbuckling his seat belt and moving to open his door, and Tessa follows his lead with a mischievous grin of her own.

“You’re so on, Moir."

It won't always be like this. She knows there will be their fair share of fights and difficulties and hardships, just like any other couple, but she also knows with a quiet surety that she and Scott will weather it all. 

_Together_. 

 


End file.
